Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 13th Dec. UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.that food insecurity has continued to worsen in West and Central Africa with 49.5 million people will go hungry by mid next year
World Food Programme regional director Margot Vandervelden said “Acute hunger remains at record levels in the region, yet funding needed to respond is not keeping a pace”,
She stressed that for lack of funds WFP has been forced to scale back lifesaving assistance for those in need.
The agency noted that acute hunger in West and Central Africa is mainly driven by conflict which has driven millions out of their homes and farms, along with the climate crisis and high food and fuel prices.
Over 2 in three households cannot afford healthy diets the cost of which in countries like Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger is 110 per cent higher than the daily minimum wage.
WFP, FAO and the UNICEF warned that 4 in five of the region’s youngest children do not consume the minimum number of food groups they need for optimal growth and development.
They reported that in the first 10 months of 2023, 1.9 million children under five were admitted for treatment due to severe wasting across nine Sahel countries, representing a 20 per cent increase from last year.
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