Updated 2 July 2012
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has been working in west Africa for many years, and since December 2011 has been responding to the food crisis there. It is able to help even in areas of unrest, where many other organisations cannot work.
This map is for illustrative purposes only, and does not express a British Red Cross opinion.
Across the Sahel region of west Africa, food insecurity left communities facing hunger, malnutrition and ill-health. Pictured below are a few of people from the affected countries. Reveal the drop-down text to see just how many other people in their countries were facing food crisis.
At the height of the crisis, over a million people in Mauritania were unable to access enough food, and half of these people needed emergency help. Around 12,600 children under five were at risk of severe malnutrition.
At the height of the crisis in Senegal, nearly 740,000 people could not get enough to eat. Around 20,000 children under five risked becoming severely malnourished. Over 280,000 people needed immediate help.
At the height of the crisis, more than two million people could not access enough food, and almost 100,000 children risked being affected by severe malnutrition. Over 880,000 people needed emergency help.
At the height of the crisis in Chad, 3.6 million people could not get enough food. Over one million people were in urgent need of emergency support. More than 125,000 children under five were at risk from severe malnutrition.
At the height of the crisis, nearly 1.8 million people were without enough to eat, and most of these people needed immediate help. There was a risk that severe malnutrition would affect 175,000 children.
At the height of the crisis, over a third of Niger’s population – more than 6.4 million people – could not access enough food. Among those who risked becoming malnourished were 330,000 children. In total, over 3.5 million people needed immediate help.
(Clockwise from top left) ©: Nathalie Bonvin/ IFRC, Moustapha Diallo/ IFRC, Sarah Oughton/ IFRC, Julien Goldstein/ IFRC, Sarah Oughton/IFRC, IFRC.
