WFP appeals for access as famine appears in Sahel

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that parts of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger face catastrophic levels of hunger unless aid groups are given urgent access to the area.

The stark warning comes ahead of the High-Level Ministerial Conference on the Central Sahel in Copenhagen on Tuesday.

The head of the International Rescue Committee in Niger, Paolo Cernuschi, said Monday he expected some firm commitments from the conference in terms of guaranteeing basic humanitarian access.

Cernuschi said he also looking for recognition that a primarily militarised response wasn't going to address the underlying causes of the crisis.

Violence and insecurity have pushed 7.4 million people in the Central Sahel region of West Africa into acute hunger.

The number of internally displaced people has risen from 70,000 two years ago to nearly 1.6 million today, including over 288,000 in Mali, more than 265,000 in Niger and over one million in Burkina Faso, which is now home to the world's fastest growing displacement crisis.

The ability of humanitarian organisations to deliver assistance to those most in need has been jeopardised by worsening conflict and insecurity. Meanwhile, aid workers are also increasingly targeted by armed groups in the region.

This means that needy communities are unable to access life-saving humanitarian assistance on which they desperately depend in times of crisis.

Cernuschi said there was no reason to believe that the situation wouldn't deteriorate without further support, which could destabilise the region.

WFP is urging participants at the conference to find ways for organisations to engage with local communities and groups in order to open up safe passageways for humanitarian assistance to reach those in need.

The virtual conference is being hosted by Denmark, Germany, the European Union and the United Nations.

UN officials are hoping it will raise US$1 billion for the three countries at the epicenter of the humanitarian crisis in Africa’s Sahel region, and spur leaders to address the underlying causes, including increasing conflict and insecurity, weak governance and a lack of development.

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