40 million in West and Central Africa struggling to feed themselves: UN
Severe climate shocks, conflict, displacement and economic instability are driving food insecurity, with emergency levels of hunger soaring
More than 40 million people are now struggling to feed themselves across West and Central Africa with that number set to rise to 52 million by the middle of next year, the United Nations food agency said Friday.
According to a new report released Friday, the World Food Programme (WFP) said 3.4 million people are currently facing “emergency levels of hunger” in the region, representing a 70 per cent increase in such cases since the summer.
The report said conflict, displacement, economic instability and severe climate shocks are driving food insecurity. The ongoing conflict in the Sahel, as well as the Sudanese civil war, have forcibly displaced over 10 million people across the region.
Massive flooding in Nigeria and Chad earlier this year has made the situation acute.
Although the numbers are staggering, the new report reduces last year’s estimate of the number of people facing food insecurity by 7.7 million.
The WFP attributes the drop to better-than-average rainfall and marginal security improvements, which are unlikely to continue improving.
