Displaying items by tag: WFP

Northern Nigeria is facing a rapidly escalating hunger emergency as militant attacks make it too dangerous for farmers to work their land. According to a new World Food Programme (WFP) report, Nigeria is on track to experience the worst-ever food crisis in Africa next year, with an estimated 35 million people expected to suffer severe hunger. In Borno state, the centre of ongoing insurgencies, at least 15,000 people are projected to face catastrophic hunger including famine-like conditions, as it is now classified at the highest level of food crisis severity. Violence from armed groups has spread, including recent kidnappings and the arrival of an al-Qaeda-linked faction claiming attacks in Nigeria for the first time. The crisis has been intensified by a major reduction in humanitarian aid following Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw US funding from the WFP. Without renewed support, millions may be left without critical food assistance, deepening instability and human suffering across the region.

On 3 April the World Food Programme (WFP) began deploying two Sherps, all-terrain amphibious vehicles with a capacity of 1,000 kilos of cargo, in Mozambique, delivering food aid to areas unreachable by other means. It said that by 8 April it had reached 717,000 people with aid assistance, out of the 1.8 million Mozambicans affected by Cyclone Idai. The WFP intends to assist 1.7 million who need emergency food assistance. Many have lost everything: homes, belongings, crops and livelihoods. Needs assessments will determine who to prioritise. The BBC World Service radio reported on 22 April that aid is also now being delivered to inaccessible places by drones. Please continue to pray for the thousands of desperate families in remote locations, still existing solely on the provision of aid from abroad.