Mali

"In Mali the strain of fighting Gadaffi-armed Tuareg rebels in the north has prompted a political crisis, leading directly to a military coup and prompting an exodus from besieged villages, exacerbating food shortages. Of the families fleeing the violence, 20% have at least one child suffering from severe acute malnutrition, according to Action Against Hunger (AAH). 'These are families who have had to hastily flee the violence and they don't have access to basic products like clothing, blankets or cooking utensils.

"Children in western Chad have started dying from malnutrition as a major hunger crisis threatening West Africa begins to take hold, an international charity has warned. Child malnutrition rates have soared in the region of Kanem, which is now in the grip of a full blown emergency, Action Contre La Faim (ACF) said...More than 2,000 children in Kanem were admitted to nutrition treatment centres in February alone, triple the number treated in December, according to ACF.

In 2011, late rains, dry spells and low river levels led to a 25% decrease in crop production in Mali, and a 50-60% rise in food prices above the five-year average. As a result, according to the World Food Programme (WFP), around 3 million people in the country are now at risk of food insecurity. Action Against Hunger predicts that by springtime, 175,000 children in Mali could be suffering from acute malnutrition.

“Light rains, poor harvests and overpriced food will combine to create a severe famine for five Sahel countries if urgent, large-scale measures are not taken, experts warn.

“‘What is undertaken today will determine whether a new major food crisis will occur’ in the region, said Vincent Taillandier, an official of Action Against Hunger.

“‘But it’s the cumulative effect of the current situation, less than two years after the last big food crisis, which presages the worst crisis since 2005.’”