On October 20 in Copenhagen (Denmark), a ministerial roundtable will focus on the situation in the central Sahel. Armed conflict, extreme poverty, food insecurity, climate change and COVID-19 are just some of the challenges facing this region without sustained assistance from the international community. Without this emergency aid, rapid deterioration could lead to instability and chaos in the countries around the Gulf of Guinea.
Organized by the United Nations, the European Union, Denmark and Germany, this high-level meeting aims to sound the alarm and draw donors' attention to one of the world's fastest-growing humanitarian crises. More than 13 million people are in need of immediate support, and 2.4 billion dollars are required.
Internal travel
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is warning of the disastrous consequences of the humanitarian crisis currently unfolding in the Central Sahel. According to the UN agency, urgent humanitarian action is absolutely essential. More than 2.7 million people across the region have been forced to flee their homes. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are at the epicenter of forced displacement. Over 1.5 million people are internally displaced in the central Sahel region, including more than 600,000 this year alone. The effects of climate change are increasing dramatically, making conditions even more difficult. Rising temperatures, more frequent floods, droughts and sandstorms are further factors pushing people to move.
Serious food crisis underway
The central Sahel is also facing a serious food and nutrition crisis. Some regions in northern Burkina Faso (Oudalan and Soum) are on the brink of famine. The results of an analysis carried out by the World Food Program (WFP) show that an additional 7.4 million people could be food insecure before 2021, due to the socio-economic effects of COVID-19. Renewed fighting in the region is putting additional pressure on people who are already highly vulnerable. Insecurity has led to the widespread closure of health facilities, schools and markets. Many people are now dependent on host communities and humanitarian aid. WFP spokesman in Geneva, Tomson Phiri, points out that "the ability of humanitarian organizations to act is compromised" as their staff are "often seen as targets by non-state armed groups in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger." In August, the WFP helped almost 3.4 million people in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Aid is currently being extended to 5 million people.
Children's situation
A record 7.2 million children in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are now in need of humanitarian aid, an increase of two-thirds in just one year. More than a million children have been forcibly displaced. Conditions are particularly severe in certain regions of Burkina Faso, which are home to large numbers of displaced people. According to UNICEF Switzerland spokeswoman Marixie Mercado, in the communes of Djibo, Gorgadji and Barsalogho, child mortality rates are already above the emergency alert threshold.
Financing
More support is needed to cope with the crisis, as current resources no longer meet the multiple needs. The WFP alone is requesting $178 million to respond to the growing emergency in the region. UNICEF operations in the central Sahel are also seriously underfunded. By mid-October, UNICEF had received less than a third (31%) of the $210 million it needs for humanitarian aid this year, and just over half (57%) against its appeal for $65.7 million to combat COVID-19. Humanitarians hope that their appeals for help will be heard during the high-level meeting, and that donor generosity will be forthcoming.