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More than 30 million people in the Sahel region will need assistance and protection in 2022, more than one million in 2021, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday. .
“In the regions affected by conflicts in West Africa, civilians are facing a dramatic protection crisis in an increasingly unstable context”, noted the UN agency in a statement, noting that “the conflicts , violence, displacement and socio-economic crises are leading to a rapid increase in needs ” in this region.
According to OCHA, the junction of conflict and violence, deep poverty, demographic pressures, weak governance, chronically high food insecurity and malnutrition, and the impact of climate change are growing. “Millions of people on the verge of survival”.
Compared to 2021, an increase of more than 40% in the number of people facing severe food insecurity is expected during the next lean season in 2022, OCHA said, adding that across the Sahel, over 29 million people are expected to face severe food insecurity, including over 8 million in the central Sahel.