AP: U.N. hopes meeting will raise $1 billion for key Sahel nations
“The U.N. humanitarian chief is hoping a major ministerial meeting Tuesday will not only raise $1 billion for the three countries at the epicenter of a humanitarian crisis in Africa’s Sahel region but also spur leaders to address the underlying causes, including increasing conflict and insecurity, weak governance, and a lack of development. Undersecretary-General Mark Lowcock said in an interview with the Associated Press that the troubling situation in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger is a symptom ‘of failure to deal with all of those causes of problems’ as well as rapid population growth and climate change…” (Lederer, 10/19).

U.N. News: Violence, COVID-19, contribute to rising humanitarian needs in the Sahel
“…The Central Sahel is one of the world’s poorest regions and the overall humanitarian situation there has deteriorated sharply over the past two years. The U.N. humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said more than 13 million people require assistance, and as the UNICEF figures show, more than half are children. The number of people facing acute hunger levels has tripled over the past year, reaching 7.4 million, while the 1.5 million people now internally displaced represent a twenty-fold increase in two years. Meanwhile, lockdowns and other measures to prevent COVID-19 have pushed an additional six million people into extreme poverty. Women and girls are especially vulnerable, and gender-based violence is also on the rise…” (10/16).