West Africa is on the verge of its worst food crisis in a decade, driven by conflict, drought and the impact of the war in Ukraine on food availability and prices, 11 international aid organizations warned Tuesday.
There are about 27 million people suffering from hunger in the region and that number could rise to 38 million by June, a 40% increase from last year and a historic high, said the organizations in a joint statement.
According to United Nations estimates, 6.3 million children aged 6 months to 5 years will be acutely malnourished in the region this year.
Large swathes of West Africa, including parts of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Nigeria, are facing extremist insurgencies that have forced millions of people off their land. Along with Chad, those are the countries most affected by hunger.
This crisis was precipitated by a decline in cereal production due to droughts, floods, conflicts and the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic that had led food prices in West Africa to soar by up to 30% in the past five years.
Border closures due to COVID-19 have also had a negative impact on the situation, the Food Crisis Prevention Network said.
"What is new and worsening is mainly all the displaced people and abandoned land because of conflict, but also we are witnessing new drivers," said Assalama Dawalack Sidi, Oxfam's regional director for West and Central Africa.
Now the war in Ukraine is exacerbating the situation: according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), food prices could rise by 20% worldwide.
The aid agencies – including Oxfam, Save the Children and World Vision – said they were concerned the war was worsening the already catastrophic situation in the region, with Sidi warning it risked redirecting much-needed funding from the region.
"Many donors have already indicated that they may cut funding for Africa to pay for refugees in Europe," the Oxfam official said.
In addition, the war is expected to lead to a significant decline in wheat availability for many African countries, which import much of the commodity from Russia or Ukraine. Six West African countries import 30%-50% of their wheat from Russia and Ukraine, according to the FAO.
On the other side of the continent, on the Horn of Africa, the worst drought in 40 years is currently risking the livelihoods of millions. In parts of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, more than 13 million people are threatened by acute hunger, according to U.N. figures.
