Sahel Context

The Sahelian countries commonly known as the G5 Sahel countries – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger – form a vast geographic belt of territories that are affected by complex and protracted crises. Food insecurity as well as chronic and acute malnutrition are persistently high, fuelled by widespread poverty, escalating conflict and displacement, an environment threatened by land degradation, limited and unequal access to basic services, poorly integrated markets, recurrent episodes of drought and flooding, as well as erratic rainfall patterns in the face of climate change. Since early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and its socio-economic fallout have placed additional strain on an already vulnerable region and precarious livelihoods.

The Sahel

Sahel Context in Figures

Despite these challenges, the Sahel is far from being defeated: the region holds great potential for ecosystem restoration, including the wealth of untapped groundwater and renewable energy sources, and the demographic dividends could be enormous if the very young population was provided with the necessary resources and opportunities to thrive.

53% of the population depends on farming and pastoralism; approx.13% of land degraded*
More than 4.6 million displaced people, of which more than 2.3 million internally displaced people
Population of 80 million expected to double in the next decade
4.6 million children (6-59 months) expected to suffer acute malnutrition in 2021 and 1.2 million severe acute malnutrition
8.7 million people estimated to be food insecure in 2021**
28% of children out of school***

* All percentages are on average and based on country-specific data
** All estimated numbers on food insecurity draw on the expected figures for the lean season period (JUN-AUG)
*** No data available on out of school rate for Chad

Operating where Vulnerabilities are Highest

ICA: Integrated Context Analysis (wfp.org)

The Sahel Integrated Resilience Programme