55 malnourished kids die

2010-03-20 11:30

Niamey - At least 55 children have died of malnutrition in Niger since the beginning of this year out of 45 525 cases recorded, officials said on Friday.

"There were some 45 525 cases of malnutrition, of which 55 deaths were already recorded in 2010", the ministerial council said in a statement on official media.

"With the efforts made by the state and those of development partners, it was hoped that the situation would have been rapidly overcome," it said.

Niger, one of the world's poorest nations, is facing a grave food crisis. The food deficit is due to crop failure brought about by erratic rains in this vast country.

Prime Minister Mahamadou Danda had last March 10 appealed for massive emergency aid from the international community to avert a food crisis that threatens more than half of the population of the arid west African country.

Emergency appeal

"To the national and international community, I want to launch an emergency appeal for massive support to the enormous efforts Niger is making to cope with famine," Danda told foreign aid agencies at the time.

Some 58% of Niger's 15.2 million people face "severe or moderate" food shortages, said Danda who was appointed prime minister by a military junta that ousted President Mamadou Tandja in February.

Danda said his government wanted to focus its emergency action on areas where "vulnerable" households have no more than 10 days of food stocks. Next harvests are not expected before September.

He outlined a detailed disaster management plan involving promotional sales and free distribution of cereals.

In 2005, some 3.2 million people in Niger were hit by famine after their crops were ravaged by locusts and a drought. Mass starvation was avoided with the help of the international community.

- AFP