The combination of conflict, climate shocks and declining funding could push millions more people into acute food insecurity by the 2026 lean season, the FAO has warned.
The food crisis in West Africa and the Sahel could reach an unprecedented critical level.
According to the latest analyses by the Cadre Harmonisé, up to 52.8 million people could face acute food insecurity between June and August 2026 unless urgent action is taken, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has cautioned.
The region already has 41.8 million people in crisis or worse, including more than 1.4 million in an emergency, as a result of the combined effects of conflict, climate shocks, soaring food prices and shrinking humanitarian funding, the FAO said.
“These figures are alarming and point to an extremely serious situation. They underscore the urgent need for collective action to prevent a major deterioration in 2026,” said Bintia Stephen-Tchicaya, FAO Subregional Coordinator for West Africa, who called for the immediate mobilisation of governments and partners.
Countries most at risk include Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea and Ghana.
In parts of northeastern Nigeria, thousands of people could slip into catastrophic food insecurity if the response is not strengthened in time.
“The food crisis stems from a combination of factors that reinforce one another. Persistent insecurity limits access to farmland and markets, while climate shocks and economic pressure are undermining livelihoods in a lasting way,” said Koffy Dominique Kouacou, Head of the FAO’s Regional Resilience Team for West Africa (REOWA).
The FAO is urging an immediate scaling-up of humanitarian responses, stronger support for food production, and increased investment in community resilience to avert a large-scale regional food crisis.
ARD/Sf/lb/as/APA