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Niger + 2 more

ECOWAS donates to famine-stricken member countries

ABUJA, Aug 1, 2005 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS on Monday announced the donation of one million US dollars in aid of three member-countries being ravaged by famine arising from last year's drought and locust plague.
Mohammed Ibn Chambas, executive secretary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), told reporters that worst hit Niger would receive 600,000 dollars of the amount.

According to him, Niger's two neighbors, Burkina Faso and Mali would each receive 200,000 dollars.

He expressed regret that the situation in Niger had spread to its two neighbors.

"As a community, we express our solidarity with the people and government of Niger," he said. "We also appreciate the response of the international community in donating food and aid."

Chambas said that for agriculture to be sustained in the subregion, the creation of small irrigation projects should be intensified since the common agricultural practice was water based.