Sahel’s humanitarian crisis under the spotlight

European officials and humanitarian organizations gathered at the European Humanitarian Forum in Brussels this week to discuss forgotten humanitarian crises around the world and how to fund them. One of the main areas of concern was for the West Africa region and Central Sahel.  

According to the conference West Africa, and in the Central Sahel (Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali) is at risk of turning into a blind spot. Armed conflict and the effects of climate change are driving unprecedented levels of humanitarian need, displacement and hunger. Some 17 million people need humanitarian assistance in the Central Sahel, according to the UN.

Reporting by the EU Observer stated that “this third edition of the forum took place in an ever more competitive space for humanitarian funding, amidst growing protection concerns, increasingly multi-faceted and interlinked crises, and increased threats posed by the climate crisis. But sustained, collaborative action between development and humanitarian actors can prevent needless suffering and lay the foundations for a better future.”