Nearly 50 million facing hunger in West, Central Africa as conflict spreads
Dakar, SenegalReuters A record 49.5 million people are expected to go hungry in West and Central Africa next year due to a combination of conflict, climate change and high food prices, the United Nations said on Tuesday. The figure is four per cent higher than in 2023. In coastal countries, the number of people facing […]
West Africa faces acute food shortages with thousands near famine, say UN agencies
Dakar, Senegal Reuters Forty-eight million people in West and Central Africa face acute food insecurity in the coming months, a 10-year high spurred by insecurity, climate shocks, COVID-19 and high prices, United Nations humanitarian agencies warned on Tuesday. West and Central Africa has faced increasing risks caused by higher temperatures and erratic rainfall. War in […]
Hunger levels in West and Central Africa set to hit all-time high – UN
Dakar, Senegal Reuters The number of people struggling to get enough food in West and Central Africa is expected to rise to an all-time high of 48 million by mid-2023, the United Nations said on Friday. About 35 million people – or about eight per cent of the assessed population – are suffering from “food […]
Explainer – Why are West and Central Africa’s floods so devastating this year?
Dakar, Senegal Reuters Unusually intense seasonal rains have drenched swathes of West and Central Africa since June, unleashing deadly floods that have affected millions and submerged farmland in 19 countries. Below are factors that are making the floods worse and data on the scale of their impact. An aerial view of the flooded Obagi community […]
Explainer – Why monkeypox cases are rising in Europe
London, UKReuters A handful of cases of monkeypox have now been reported or are suspected in the United Kingdom, Portugal and Spain. The outbreaks are raising alarm because the disease mostly occurs in west and central Africa, and only very occasionally spreads elsewhere. An image created during an investigation into an outbreak of monkeypox, which […]
Number of children recruited into conflict grows in West and Central Africa
Dakar, SenegalReuters West and Central Africa has recorded the highest number of children recruited into conflict of any region in the world, and the number is growing, the UN children’s agency said on Tuesday. Children are used as fighters as well as messengers, spies, cooks, cleaners, guards and porters by armed groups from Mali to […]
Two-thirds of tropical rainforest destroyed or degraded globally, NGO says
Brasilia, BrazilReuters Humans have degraded or destroyed roughly two-thirds of the world’s original tropical rainforest cover, new data reveals – raising alarm that a key natural buffer against climate change is quickly vanishing. The forest loss is also a major contributor of climate-warming emissions, with the dense tropical forest vegetation representing the largest living reservoir […]