Insecurity will worsen food security in West Africa

Significance

Conflict and insecurity has been driving a steady deterioration in supply conditions, year after year, but the number of people at risk over the next two months is unprecedented.

Impacts

• Jihadist attacks south from Burkina Faso into northern Benin and Togo now threaten dislocation of rural livelihoods in these areas too.
• Insecurity will force longer-term development programmes to suspend operations across larger swathes of territory.
• The anti-Western diplomatic stance of Burkina Faso and Mali's juntas may complicate the task of humanitarian actors.
• Food insecurity could fuel popular unrest across the region.