UN fears worsening hunger crisis in West Africa

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Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her Nigerian counterpart Hassoumi Massoudou

Photo: Kay Nietfeld / dpa

The hunger crisis in West Africa could worsen because of rising oil and food costs as a result of the Ukraine war.

The cost of the United Nations World Food Program's (WFP) aid offerings in West Africa alone will rise by 128 million euros this year, the organization warned on Thursday.

With the spreading conflict in Ukraine, ports and suppliers are no longer accessible.

Shipments from the Black Sea region have been delayed or canceled, affecting WFP's work in West Africa.

For example, additional costs resulting from price increases could have funded daily school meals for six million schoolchildren for over half a year, according to the WFP.

West Africa is on the verge of its worst food crisis in a decade.

According to aid organizations, 43 million people in the region could soon go hungry in June – a third more than in the previous year.

The worst drought in 40 years is also currently threatening the livelihoods of millions of people in the Horn of Africa.

In parts of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, more than 13 million people are at risk of acute hunger.

According to the UN, the main reasons for the decline in grain production on the continent are drought, floods, conflicts and the economic impact of the corona pandemic.

Baerbock calls for an international fight against the hunger crisis

During her visit to Niger, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for an international fight against the looming hunger crisis in Africa.

In the face of skyrocketing food prices due to the Russian war in Ukraine and the increasing effects of climate change in Africa, the Green politician said while visiting a UN refugee project in the city of Quallam in Niger: "We see and we hear you and we have a responsibility for that will somehow get a grip on this hurricane of crises here on the ground.«

Baerbock had previously spoken to families and school children in the settlement north of the capital Niamey and learned about an agricultural project and the effects of climate change.

mfh/dpa