Country

By Chris Tidey

NIAMEY, Niger, 11 May 2012 – Chronic food insecurity and malnutrition are mainstays of everyday life for thousands of families in Niger. Following the failed rains and poor harvests of 2011, the country is now in the midst of its third nutrition crisis since 2005.

Over 6 million people, more than half of whom are children, are currently estimated to be food insecure. UNICEF and its humanitarian partners in Niger now estimate that more than 394,000 children will require treatment for severe acute malnutrition over the course of the year.

Just back from a trip to the drought-stricken Sahel region of Africa, WFP Executive Director Ertharin encourages G8 leaders meeting at Camp David later this week to build on the promise of the 2009 L’Aquila Summit, by uniting public and private sector partners behind national plans for food security. This article was originally written for the Global Food For Thought blog of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

The Government has accepted the advice of the Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee and approved two grants from the Disaster Relief Fund totalling $6 million to World Vision Hong Kong to undertake relief projects for drought victims in Mali and Niger.

Announcing the grants today (May 15), a Government spokesman said that the Committee hoped the two grants - each of $3 million - would help provide relief to the drought victims in the two countries.

London, 14 May 2012 – Aid provided to Malian refugees in Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger is insufficient, the medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said today. Since late January, nearly 160,000 Malians have fled their country for camps in neighbouring nations. Instability persists in Mali, leaving little hope that the refugees will be able to return soon. On top of that, another imminent threat looms: the rainy season, which will further complicate the deployment of aid.

Depuis la fin janvier, près de 160 000 Maliens ont fui leur pays et rejoint des camps en Mauritanie, au Burkina Faso et au Niger. Alors que l’instabilité perdure au Mali et que l’espoir d’un retour prochain au pays s’éloigne, une autre menace guette les réfugiés : la saison des pluies, qui compliquera encore plus le déploiement de l’aide.

Présente en Mauritanie, au Burkina Faso et au Niger dans les camps de réfugiés maliens, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) juge insuffisante l’aide internationale apportée à ces populations.