UNICEF says nearly a million children in Sahel are malnourished
About one million children, who live in three countries of the Sahel – Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger – face acute malnutrition, according to the communiqué issued by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), TASS reports
The document reads, “An estimated 970,000 children under five from West Africa’s three central Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger) will face severe wasting this year. The three countries are poor, landlocked and fighting jihadist insurgencies.”
Niger is expected to face the highest burden, with 430,000 children estimated to be affected.
“But this figure is 60,000 less than in 2022, which was the result of the efforts of the government of Niger, UNICEF and its partners,” the communiqué says.
In Mali, by contrast, 367,000 children are forecast to face severe wasting, up more than 18 percent from last year’s 309,000.
“Growing insecurity and conflict means vulnerability is increasing in the region, and it is getting harder to help communities in isolated areas,” commented Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa. “Every child should receive good nutrition. Provision Good nutrition during childhood is a key element to long-term prosperity.”
UNICEF has urged governments put child nutrition ‘high on national priority agendas’ and boost national investments in the early prevention, detection and treatment of child malnutrition.
