West Africa On Brink of Worst Food Crisis - Report

A group of international aid organizations has said that West Africa is facing its worst food crisis in a decade due to increasing conflict, drought, flooding, and the war in Ukraine that is affecting food prices and worsening an already disastrous situation, with over 27 million people already suffering from hunger.

The report stated that between 2007 and 2022, the number of people in need of food assistance in the West African region - including Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Niger - increased from 7 to 27 million. The global aid groups warned that unless urgent action is taken, the increase would mark "a new historic level" and an increase by more than a third during last year.

According to United Nations estimates, 6.3 million children aged six months to five years will be acutely malnourished in the region. 

The crisis has also been precipitated by a decline in cereal production due to droughts, floods, conflicts and the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic that had led food prices in West Africa to soar by up to 30% in the past five years.

To add to the already dire situation, experts have predicted that Russia's invasion of Ukraine could push food prices up to 20% worldwide, "an unbearable increase for an already fragile population". The conflict will likely significantly reduce the availability of wheat in the six West African countries, which import at least a third or even as much as half of their consumption volumes from the conflicting countries.

The crisis in Europe is also resulting in funding cuts to aid in Africa and U.S.$4 billion is needed to provide adequate support to the continent, the report said.