UNITED NATIONS officials have said that a humanitarian crisis is fast developing  in the Central Sahel region of Africa – a region which covers Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger – at a time when COVID-19 is putting pressure on the area’s fragile health systems.

 According to a new joint food security assessment by food security experts including the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), more than 5 million people are facing severe food insecurity across the region.

Burkina Faso – which has seen the largest number of officially-reported deaths from COVID-19 anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa — is where the number of food insecure is expected to more than triple to 2.1 million people as the lean season sets-in in June, up from over 680,000 at the same time last year.

Severe food insecurity

It’s estimated that there are 1.3 million people in Mali and 2 million people in Niger who will face severe food insecurity in the coming months. 

The number of internally displaced people has also increased four-fold across the Central Sahel, with numbers spiking in Burkina Faso to 780,000 up from half a million at the start of the year. These communities have been forced from their homes by extremist violence and now rely almost entirely on external assistance to survive.

Chris Nikoi, WFP’s Regional Director for West Africa said: “This is a crisis layered on top of a crisis, and the situation risks getting out of hand. People are on the brink — we must step up now to save lives — we are the only hope for millions.”

Catastrophic consequences

He added: “Our message to the world is clear – look away now and the consequences will be no less than catastrophic.” 

WFP’s food and nutrition assistance provides a lifeline to millions in the region, as well as providing stability and strengthening the resilience of the communities in which they live. 

WFP assisted 1.5 million people in Burkina Faso and Mali in February, but more support is needed to tackle the crisis, especially as the threat of COVID-19 puts life-saving humanitarian work on the line. WFP urgently requires USD 208 million through August 2020 to carry out its lifesaving operations.

WFP has rapidly adapted its operations to the COVID-19 pandemic, putting in place measures to reduce the risk of infection to beneficiaries, partners, and WFP staff.