Between them, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger represent less than 1% of the world’s population but 5% of its humanitarian needs, according to a report by US NGO International Rescue Committee released on Tuesday, June 6. More than five million people are food insecure in the three countries of the central Sahel and nearly three million have been displaced, a sharp rise since 2014.
The US NGO sees this as a result of the combined effects of climate change and attacks by jihadist groups that have plagued these countries for years. While 78% of the population depends on agriculture, temperatures are rising one and a half times faster than the rest of the world.
>> Read More: [2] Special program: Sahel, effects of global warming
So communities in parts of the central Sahel are on the front lines of two crises.
For the IRC, this was not a coincidence but the result of a series of political decisions. Lack of investment in these regions leaves people more exposed to the effects of climate change. This weakness creates fertile ground for armed groups. A vicious circle that NGOs call for breaking.
how Before answering this, Modou Diao, IRC’s Regional Vice President for West Africa, looks back at the process over time that led to the marginalization of the most affected areas today.
A sense of discrimination is felt in these regions and as many youth lack jobs, they are more inclined to mobilize into armed groups. We propose a three-level response: Meeting people’s humanitarian needs; […]Try to break the vicious circle by implementing infrastructure projects that help improve access to resources […]Proposals to finance projects to adapt to global warming and climate change financing are not limited to reducing greenhouse gases. […]
Modou Diao: Rural areas have been marginalized and unprepared for climate change since colonial times
