The Sahel Crisis: lasting solutions for lasting change
An urgent humanitarian crisis has gripped the Sahel, where more than 18 million people are currently at risk of food insecurity and hunger. Poor rains last year and a resulting drought has plunged a huge swatch of land in the Sahel into crisis. This area covers parts of 10 countries in Central and West Africa, including Chad, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Gambia, Cameroon and northern Nigeria. High fuel and food costs, pest infestations, and conflict in Mali have further strained the region. The UN has issued an urgent appeal to provide emergency assistance to millions of people in the region, with a special focus on young children vulnerable to malnutrition.
What is especially devastating about the Sahel crisis is that this has happened before. Again and again. In fact, this is the third time in less than a decade that a drought has propelled the region into crisis. And the second time in just two years. Many of the same people affected by the current crisis are still recovering from the last one. Drought, hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition have become routine.
It is long past time that the world acted decisively to break the cycle of crisis. A growing chorus of voices have called for smart, long-term solutions to the core challenges. A key component of this response is smart, long-term investments in agriculture, food security and nutrition – exactly the development investments that ONE has called for in our Thrive campaign.
Fortunately, 6 crisis-affected countries in the Sahel — Burkina Faso, Gambia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal – have already developed agriculture and food security investment plans. Plans that have been costed, vetted by domestic stakeholders, and internationally endorsed. And not just in the Sahel: in total, 30 countries have laid these plans. Putting all of them into practice could lift 50 million people out of poverty and enable those countries not just to survive, but to thrive.
With the crisis looming large in the Sahel, donors should waste no time in fully funding these country plans. 13 donor countries have promised to sustain investments in agriculture, food security and nutrition. They must live up to those promises now – in the Sahel, where crisis is underway, and across the 24 countries that stand ready with vetted and endorsed plans.
Investing for the long-term makes economic sense. By fully funding the country investment plans of the 6 crisis- affected countries in the Sahel, for instance, nearly 10 million people could be lifted out of poverty. The United Nations has estimated that dealing with the 2012 Sahel hunger crisis alone will cost $1.6 billion – and there have been three hunger crises in the region in the last ten years.
Of course, as we make these long-term investments, it is also vital that immediate humanitarian needs are met. So the UN appeal for the region should be fully funded, and the small parts of the appeal that specifically help build resilience to future crises and provide safety nets must not be deprioritised, as they are now. Investing in lasting solutions will lead to lasting change.
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The International ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, with guest contributions from ONE volunteers, members and allies.
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13/07/2012 at 5:41 am
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15/07/2012 at 7:14 pm
i am a Cameroonian and can already sense this danger of very high cost of living in the nearest future if nothing is done to prevent it.From my observations,because the per capital income is low,most Cameroonians just eat to fill their stomach because they can’t afford to buy the little variety of nutritious food that is available in the market.Basics like water,food ,quality health care is becoming something very luxurious.Thanks to NGOs we find it a little easier in certain domains like health.The low purchasing power of majority is low to afford basic food. that is to say most Cameroonians suffer from malnutrition and this has a chain effect which eventually leads to high death rates.when i come across extreme cases of people especially children who are hungry and can not do anything to help the situation,it kills me inside,yes it disturbs me so much.of late i met a girl with her baby,they were so hungry and the baby was looking so malnourished!i was so thankful to God i had a few coins to safe a situation.Please do encourage people to help others at their own little level,Please do not ignor anybody who needs food when you can do something about the situation.I know what it means to be hungry.This rising cost of living is also leading to many social vices simply because these people involved wnat to provide food for their families,but they fail to understand that being involved in social vices is not the solution!I’m so thankful for this wonderful idea of this organization.Long term ideas that will solve the problem!i watch TV and see very disturbing cases.Permit me to suggest that when implementing these your good ideas please do come yourself and ensure that the projects are carried out because in addition corruption seem to be the other of the day.Every leader seem so egoistic,absolutely no feelings!they don’t seem to realize that leaders are servants,to better the lives of their fellow brothers and sisters.May the Good Lord bless you for this wonderful initiative to eradicate EXTREME POVERTY!THERE IS A GREAT NEED TO CUT THIS CHAIN! TRUST IN GOD!