DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — More than 40 million people in West and Central Africa are now struggling to feed themselves, and that number will rise to 52 million by the middle of next year, the United Nations Food Agency said Friday.
According to a new report released on Friday, the World Food Program says 3.4 million people are currently facing “emergency levels of hunger” in the region, marking a 70% increase in such cases since the summer.
According to the report, conflict, displacement, economic instability and severe climate shocks are driving food insecurity. The ongoing conflict in the Sahel and the Sudanese civil war have displaced more than ten million people across the region. Massive flooding in Nigeria and Chad earlier this year has made the situation acute.
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While the numbers are staggering, the new report lowers last year’s estimate of the number of people facing food insecurity by 7.7 million. The WFP attributes the decline to better than average rainfall and marginal safety improvements, which are unlikely to continue to improve.
Yet the WFP report says food insecurity will affect almost one in ten people in West and Central Africa next year, while the World Bank estimates more than half a billion people live there.
Margot van der Velden, WFP regional director for West Africa, said the “vicious cycle of hunger” in the region could be broken with better planning and preparedness.
“We need timely, flexible and predictable financing to reach crisis-affected people with life-saving assistance, and massive investments in preparedness, anticipatory action and building resilience to strengthen communities and reduce humanitarian needs,” said Van der Velden.
