AFRICA-In Africa 23 million people are at risk of hunger

Johannesburg (Agenzia Fides) - Alarm of the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) with regards to the food crisis that could hit 23 million people in arid areas of West Africa if not treated immediately. The IFRC, national coordination group for the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world, estimates that currently 10 to 14 million people in the Sahel region do not have enough food due to poor rainfall, pest attacks and local floods. In a recent meeting at the United Nations, the regional representative of the IFRC for Sahel said that the crops in Chad and Mauritania correspond only to half of the population’s necessities. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 15/2/2012)