UN: Don't forget Sahel's plight

2005-08-06 20:35

Geneva - The United Nations' food aid agency on Friday urged donors not to forget hard-hit countries in Africa's Sahel region, saying they face similar hunger crises to the one in neighbouring Niger.

Ahead of the official launch of a revised UN appeal for almost $81m for Niger, the World Food Programme (WFP) said Mali, Mauritania and Burkina Faso are also at risk, following the same lethal combination of drought and crop-devouring locusts.

"It is our responsibility to ensure these countries which have been affected do not turn into full-blown food crises," like that ravaging Niger, WFP spokesperson Simon Pluess said.

In Mali, around a million people - close to 10% of the population - are threatened by hunger, Pluess said.

"The situation warrants an immediate response," he said.

In some regions of the country, notably on the border with Mauritania, some 60% of people are suffering from acute malnutrition.

"The job can't be done properly because of under funding," Pluess said.

The WFP has received just $1.2m of the $7.3m it needs for Mali.

In Burkina Faso, half a million people need food aid in the north of the country.

"This region needs heightened surveillance," said Pluess.

In Mauritania, around 600 000 people are affected, although the WFP has so far managed to hold off a severe food crisis.

In Niger, the WFP said, 2.5 million people, including 800 000 children, are facing famine.

- AFP