Dakar, April 18 (BNA): The United Nations warned today, Tuesday, that hunger is escalating and spreading across West Africa, as some 48 million people, the highest level in 10 years, face food insecurity in the conflict-torn region.
UN officials said at a press conference held in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, that food insecurity, mainly driven by violence as well as the economic repercussions of the Covid-19 virus and inflation, has greatly affected Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, northern Nigeria and Mauritania.
UN officials said that for the first time, some 45,000 people in the Sahel, the arid region below the Sahara desert, are on the brink of starvation, one step away from starvation.
The vast majority facing catastrophic levels of hunger, 42,000, are in Burkina Faso, reports the Associated Press.
“The situation is alarming,” said Ann DeVry, UNICEF’s regional nutrition specialist for West and Central Africa.
“In the past year, we have seen a significant increase (31%) in the number of children admitted to health facilities due to severe wasting across the Sahel…, particularly when we have communities under siege.”
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