1.79 billion euros to fight famine in West Africa and the Sahel
The international community has mobilized 1.79 billion euros to fight famine in Africa.
© Pixabay / Andrey Braynsk
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The international community is mobilizing to help fight famine in West Africa and the Sahel.
The FAO, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, announced on Thursday that it had raised the sum of 1.79 billion euros.
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1.79 billion euros have been raised to fight famine in Africa.
The United States has promised to increase its aid, as has the European Union, which has pledged to give an additional 67 million euros for an overall envelope of 240 million over 2022. As for France, it should contribute to 166 million euros over the year.
Developed countries and several organizations have said they want to increase their participation while
the evolution of the situation in the region is of great concern to
associations and NGOs.
Some 27 million people currently suffer from malnutrition in the central Sahel region and the Lake Chad basin.
“A war on global food security”
An already extremely high figure which could quickly reach "
38 million people by June if measures are not taken urgently"
, warned Tuesday, the FAO.
Oxfam or Action against Hunger have expressed their concerns about a “
sudden drop in international aid in Africa
”.
For these associations, the region is experiencing its worst food crisis in a decade.
The reasons for this situation are multiple: droughts, conflicts, impacts of
the Covid-19 epidemic
and now the war in Ukraine and its consequences,
such as the increase in food prices.
"
Putin's war against Ukraine is also a war against world food security (...) The Sahel regions risk being the first to bear the brunt of it
", denounced the head of French diplomacy, Jean - Yves Le Drian.
Faced with this situation, Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum pleaded for a significant and urgent increase in international funding during a meeting on the subject organized by the European Union and the Sahel and West Africa Club.
► Also to listen: Guest Africa - Food crisis in Africa: Luca Russo of the FAO fears "a decline in humanitarian assistance"
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