WFP to treble Niger aid appeal
2005-08-03 12:28
Rome - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is to treble its Niger appeal to $57m in a bid to stave off a famine threatening 2.5 million people, a spokesperson said on Tuesday.
The Rome-based emergency response organisation will launch a fresh appeal to donor countries on Wednesday, aiming to treble its current $16m appeal, said the spokesperson.
The agency is aiming to increase the number of people targeted for food aid from 1.6 million to 2.5 million people it has identified as "in urgent need of food aid".
Overall, the UN body says 3.6 million people are directly affected by food shortages in the West African country because of drought and crop devastation caused by locusts.
The WFP reported on Monday that it had already received $11.5m, or 70% of the $16m it originally required.