LThe United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said humanitarian partners need $4.7 billion in 2024 to meet the urgent needs of nearly 21 million people in Burkina Faso, in the region. of the Far North of Cameroon, in Chad, Mali, Niger and in the states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe in Nigeria.
According to the UN agency, the lives of 32.8 million people across the Sahel are affected by a complex and interconnected set of crises, exacerbated by instability, the deterioration of the security situation and the effects of climate change.
“Lives are in danger”, warned OCHA, noting that the situation will continue to deteriorate if humanitarians do not receive the necessary resources to respond to these crises and support the most vulnerable people in the region.
This alert comes as humanitarian response plans for the six Sahel countries have only received 40% of the 4.7 billion US dollars requested by humanitarian partners for 2024, lamented the agency.
According to OCHA, if aid operations collapse, it will threaten millions of lives across the Sahel. Especially since during the lean season from June to August 2024, 16.7 million people will have difficulty feeding themselves.
Across the Sahel, growing violence and conflict threaten lives and livelihoods, forcing families to flee their homes and preventing access to basic social services, the same Source added, indicating that more than two million children are thus deprived of their right to education due to the closure of schools, and more than 1,200 health centers are closed.
“The tangle of crises that humanitarians face is more complex than ever. Without the resources to meet their needs, these crises will continue to worsen and spread, eroding resilience and endangering the lives of vulnerable children, women and men.”, warned Charles Bernimolin, head of the OCHA regional office.
(with MAP)
