Key messages
The Sahel continues to face a food and nutrition crisis which is compounded by the erosion of people’s resilience due to the quick succession of the crises, the absence of social services on and the ramifications of conflicts in the region.
As one of the largest contributors of humanitarian aid to the Sahel, the European Commission has assisted 1.7 million extremely food insecure people and 580 000 severely malnourished children in 2014.
The food and nutrition prospects for 2015 have not significantly improved. The past year has seen average harvests and food prices remain high. There are particular concerns due to erratic rain fall in Senegal, Mauritania and Gambia and because of the expanding conflict in northern Nigeria and Mali.
Emergency needs in the Sahel will persist unless the root causes of food insecurity and malnutrition are addressed and the resilience of the poorest people is strengthened. The European Commission has championed the creation of AGIR, a global alliance to strengthen resilience in West Africa which has set itself a ‘zero hunger’ goal by 2032.
Senegal, Mali and Nigeria have been declared Ebola-free after the outbreak was contained thanks to the mobilisation of the health authorities with support from international partners. However, the ongoing Ebola epidemic in the neighbouring countries warrants continued vigilance and preparedness.
Read the full Factsheet at the ECHO website.
