Maps&Facts: A persistent food and nutrition crisis spreads from the Sahel to the Gulf of Guinea

Analysis of the Cadre harmonisé indicates that around 29.5 million people were in need of immediate food assistance (phase 3-5) in March-May 2023 in the Sahel and West Africa, i.e. 2 million more people than at the same time last year. In the absence of appropriate measures, 42.5  million people could be affected during the lean season from June to August 2023, and 107.5 million people would also be under food pressure and could fall into a crisis situation in the event of shocks. This food and nutrition crisis is exacerbated by insecurity in the central Sahel and the Lake Chad basin, resulting in more than 7.5  million internally displaced people; inflation on food products and agricultural inputs; and the depreciation of local currencies in some countries in the Gulf of Guinea. In Nigeria, almost 455 000 people were in an emergency situation (phase 4) between March-May 2023, mainly in the north of the country (Borno, Yobé, Sokoto, Niger). Around 22  480 people living in the Sahel region (Burkina Faso) were in a disaster situation (phase 5). Several localities (Djibo, Pama, Nouna, Arbinda, Sebba and Diapaga) are under blockade by terrorist groups, and the supply of food and medicine to the population depends essentially on supplies from the army and humanitarian agencies. This situation is exacerbating the nutritional crisis, with almost 17 million children under the age of 5 suffering from acute malnutrition in the region.