Sahel: 34.5 million people survive on humanitarian assistance in an area plagued by violence, instability and misery

Sahel: 34.5 million people survive on humanitarian assistance in an area plagued by violence, instability and misery

ROME - Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger and north-eastern Nigeria: the states of the Sahel in West Africa have been living for years now in a spiral of violence, food insecurity and climate emergencies which is causing large flows of displaced persons and refugees and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. The budget of the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs is that in these countries one person out of three needs aid and protection to live.

The causes of instability. Conflicts and violence are the main cause of humanitarian needs in 2023. Security in the Sahel states has steadily worsened since 2015, with a sharp increase in attacks and bombings and therefore also in civilian casualties. In 2022, 4,555 people were killed, an increase of 42 percent from the previous year. From January 2023 to today more than 1500 people have already lost their lives in attacks and attacks. Social insecurity, resulting from conflict and violence, is displacing entire communities across the Sahel area, and is causing a food crisis that already affects 11.2 million people today. Out of a total population of 109 million people, more than 34 million are in need of aid and humanitarian assistance. Nearly 6 million people are on the brink of catastrophe because they can't afford anything and more than half of those in need are children.

The displaced. From January to today there are 6.6 million people on the move due to persecution, conflict and human rights violations. More than a million of them have crossed the border seeking protection as refugees. Many people are leaving their homes and fleeing their villages in fear of armed attacks organized by non-state groups. 75 percent of the region's displaced people have fled their lives out of fear of these attacks. Social insecurity and attacks on operators of international agencies and non-governmental organizations are also reducing the scope of humanitarian action and making it difficult both for organizations operating on the ground and for those affected to access aid.

Desertification. The Sahel region, already grappling with desertification, is also dealing with seasonal floods which left more than 1,000 dead and 2.9 million displaced last year. The floods also destroyed nearly half a million homes and devastated 1.5 million hectares of farmland. In just one year, the need for financing for the Sahel has increased by 14 percent due to the deepening crisis.

Reverse course. The Sahel is also a serious humanitarian crisis. If current trends continue, an increasing number of people will no longer be able to meet their vital needs, said Charles Bernimolin, head of the regional humanitarian affairs office for West and Central Africa in Dakar. This overview of needs should encourage the world to pay attention to the Sahel region and donors to increase their funding. More support is needed to prevent vulnerable people from being deprived of assistance, children from losing access to education, women from being deprived of protection and the entire population from facing even greater food insecurity.



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