The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is sounding the alarm: nearly 29
million people in six Sahel countries will need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2025.
According to the latest humanitarian needs overview for the region, $4.3 billion is needed to assist 18.4 million people in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria.
“Millions of vulnerable women, children, and men are in emergency situations,” said Charles Bernimolin, OCHA’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa. “Without adequate funding, lives will be lost.”
The Sahel is ravaged by a series of interlocking crises – armed conflict, insecurity, mass displacement, and climate change – that continue to worsen.
In 2024, more than 16,800 people were killed in violence, while forced displacement reached record highs: 2.1 million refugees and 5.9 million internally displaced persons, a sharp increase compared to last year.
The crisis now extends beyond the Sahel: more than 328,000 refugees and asylum seekers are registered in neighboring countries such as Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Mauritania.
Essential services are also severely affected, with 9,900 schools and 922 health centers closed.
Between June and August, 12.8 million people are expected to face food insecurity, and 2.6 million children will suffer from severe acute malnutrition.
Despite the scale of the needs, the humanitarian response remains woefully underfunded: by the end of May, only 8 percent of the funding appeal had been mobilised.
“This is not about budget figures, it’s about human lives. Inaction will be costly,” warned Mr. Bernimolin, calling for urgent donor mobilisation
TE/Sf/fss/as/APA