Norway’s support to drought victims in eastern Sahel increased to NOK 50 million

Ten million people in eastern Sahel are affected by drought and food shortages. Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre commented: “The situation is very serious for the population in this area. We have therefore decided to increase our support to NOK 50 million.”

Norway has already provided NOK 31 million for the drought victims, and these funds have been channelled through the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), CARE and the World Food Programme (WFP). The Government has now decided to provide an additional NOK 19 million for the WFP’s efforts in the area. This means that Norway’s contribution to the victims of the crisis in eastern Sahel amounts to NOK 50 million.

“By channelling our assistance through the WFP, we can be confident that it will reach those who need it most. These funds will be used for direct food aid and nutrition programmes for children, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups,” said Mr Støre. 

The crisis is due to very low rainfall over a long period of time. The humanitarian problems are reinforced by high food prices. In Niger, more than half the population of 15 million are at risk, as are nearly two million people in Chad. The situation is also critical in Mail Cameroon and other countries in the region.