UN chief calls for urgent action over Sahel crisis
United Nations Secretary- General Antonio Guterres has called for urgent action to reverse a worsening humanitarian crisis in Africa’s central Sahel region.
At a virtual high- level conference hosted by the UN, Germany, Denmark and the European Union on Tuesday to address the issue, Guterres said the humanitarian needs in the central Sahel region are at “a breaking point”.
“We need to reverse this downward spiral with a renewed push for peace and reconciliation. We need to make space for vital humanitarian assistance and investments in development and people,” he said.
The call follows a report by UN agencies that needs in the border region between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have reached record levels due to rising violence, insecurity and the coronavirus pandemic. Together, these factors have created one of the world’s fastest- growing humanitarian crises.
The central Sahel is one of the poorest regions in the world, and the humanitarian situation has deteriorated sharply over the past two years, according to the UN Humanitarian Affairs Office.
Violence between armed groups, widespread poverty and the impacts of climate change have pushed 7.4 million people in the region into acute hunger.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said more than 13 million people in the three countries require urgent humanitarian assistance, 5 million more than estimated at the beginning of the year.
The lockdowns and other measures imposed to control spread of the coronavirus have pushed an additional 6 million people into extreme poverty, the UN said.
“The Sahel is a microcosm of cascading global risks converging in one region. It is a warning sign for us all requiring urgent attention and resolution,” Guterres said.
During the meeting, international donors pledged over $ 1.7 billion to scale up humanitarian aid in the region.
The funding will support 10 million people with nutrition and other food, health services, water and sanitation, shelter, education and protection.
Save the Children, a humanitarian organization, has called on governments across the Sahel region, together with the international community, to prioritize education, as well as the protection of children.
The organization warned that millions of children in the central Sahel region who are out of school due to conflict, recent flooding and the coronavirus are at a higher risk of falling victim to violence.
Daily risks
“Children in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger face a daily risk of kidnappings, killing, maiming and recruitment by armed groups,” the charity said.
About 4,000 schools in the region have been closed due to attacks or fear of attacks, nearby fighting, or because they were occupied by armed groups. Additionally, more than 16,000 teachers are out of work.
Save the Children reminded the governments of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger that they have signed up to the Safe Schools Declaration, committing to enable children to continue their education even during armed conflicts.
“In Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, eight out of 10 children have experienced violence,” Eric Hazard, Pan-African advocacy director for Save the Children said. “Girls are exposed to child marriage when they don’t go to school. The trend is that more and more children are victims of kidnapping, murder, recruitment and use by armed groups.”
Save the Children warned that failure to address the issue now will leave the education and protection of an entire generation of children at risk, with lasting consequences for the entire West and Central Africa regions.