Conflict and COVID worsen Sahel food insecurity

Significance

Much of Mauritania and Chad are food stressed as well. European Union estimates, counting the five Sahelian countries as well as Nigeria and Cameroon, put the number of people needing emergency food assistance this year at 23.4 million.

Impacts

• The region’s economies are projected to resume relatively rapid economic growth this year after recessions or near-recessions in 2020.
• The benefits of restored economic growth will be very unevenly shared.
• Armed groups' efforts to extort money from stressed populations could prompt resistance, retaliatory violence and further displacement.