Around 800,000 people in Niger face food insecurity in coming months, according to the UN’s Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Rising food prices and refugees from Mali, which is plagued by conflict, have made access to food difficult in the west African country.
The OCHA calculates that currently 84,000 are in need of immediate aid. Food aid may be required throughout June-August, which is considered the lean season in the region before the harvesting starts around September. In some parts of the country, delivering available grains to market has posed problems.
Food insecurity in Niger is exacerbated by some 60,000 refugees from Mali, where a government coup and conflict in the north pushed many people to flee the country into neighboring Niger. An international military intervention, led by France, has reduced the conflict in Mali though the situation remains precarious.
Niger is found in the Sahel region, which is plagued by inconstant rains and drought, leading to frequent food insecurity. Regional conflict combined with possible impacts from climate change have also played a role.
A farmer collecting millet in Koremairwa village in the Dosso department. Photo by: USDA.
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