Non-traditional donors such as Gulf states, private sector and private foundations could give more -WFP
DAKAR (AlertNet) – Non-traditional donors like the Gulf states and the private sector should dig deeper in their pockets to help prevent West Africa's food crisis from worsening, a senior U.N. official said in an appeal for funds.
Humanitarian operations around the world are suffering because Western countries - traditionally the biggest donors - have been hit hard by the global financial crisis and are providing less aid, Thomas Yanga, the West Africa regional director for the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP), said.
Yanga was speaking after a trip with WFP's newly appointed executive director, Ertharin Cousin, to Niger where they witnessed how mothers were feeding their children toxic berries to stave off hunger.
"We are appealing to non-traditional donors to come to the rescue of the populations who are in a situation where their lives may be at risk," Yanga told AlertNet in an interview.
"I am referring to emerging economies, to the Gulf states and also to foundations and private institutions that could contribute funds to respond to this crisis," he said by phone from Niger's capital Niamey.
More than 15 million people are facing food insecurity in the Sahel region - a semi-arid belt of land south of the Sahara desert - because of a combination of drought, failed crops, insect infestations, high food prices and conflict.
Worst-hit are Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Gambia as well as the northern tips of Nigeria and Cameroon.
The United Nations’ current appeal for $923 million is 58 percent funded. However, a U.N. spokesman said further assessments show needs have increased considerably – not least due to the conflict in Mali – and that the final appeal for the region could be between $1.2 billion and $1.4 billion.
"There are a large number of institutions and countries that could do more than they have done so far and we have been trying to encourage them to provide more resources," Yanga said.
According to a U.N. financial tracking system, Brazil has committed $470,000, South Africa $243,000 and Saudi Arabia $976,452 in funds to tackle the crisis in West Africa.
Aid workers expect the short-term outlook to be tough, citing the early start of the traditional 'lean season' - the period between planting and harvesting when all food reserves have been depleted.
The lean season started around February this year and could last until September in some countries, aid agencies warn.
In a blog, WFP's Cousin said what she had seen on her four-day trip to Niger had been "painful to take in", adding that conditions were completely unacceptable.
"We saw situations in which people had virtually nothing to eat and were depending on wild leaves and toxic berries for their survival," Yanga said.
"We are heading towards difficult times in the next three months in the Sahel if necessary efforts are not done now to help expand our programmes," he added.
The U.N. warned this week that the situation in Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger had been compounded by an influx of refugees uprooted by conflict in Mali.
As of May 6, over 160,000 Malian refugees had been registered in Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Many of the refugees have settled in areas already severely hit by the food shortages, the U.N. said.
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