Over 16 million need aid in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger: Report
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An NGO report warns that the majority of the central Sahel "is highly exposed to changes in climate."
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Dry seasons are extending farther into the Sahel and rainfall is getting more intense (AFP)
According to a Monday report from an NGO, more than 16 million people in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger who are impacted by violence and climate change require humanitarian assistance.
According to the US International Rescue Committee's report on the Sahel region, this marks an increase of 172% over 2016.
It warned that the majority of the central Sahel "is highly exposed to changes in climate" and that the three nations are dealing with a violent militant insurgency that started in Mali more than ten years ago.
According to the report, global temperatures are expected to rise by two to 4.3 degrees Celsius by 2080, 1.5 times faster than the rest of the globe.
Read: 2023 forecasts show record-breaking global temperatures
Dry seasons are extending farther into the Sahel, and rainfall is getting more intense and irregular, which will cause droughts and floods to worsen, it added.
The NGO added that there is a "vicious cycle of climate change and armed conflict" and that women are disproportionately affected by the problem.
It stated that about three million people had been displaced, with two million of those being in Burkina Faso alone.
The research blamed post-independence governments as well as French colonial-era authorities who "neglected" growing periphery territories and imposed obstructive border controls.
Read: Mali's ex-colonizer, France, 'fully withdraws'
"Political decisions dating from the French colonial rule through the early 2000s have marginalised peripheral areas of the Central Sahel states both economically and politically," the report said.
"As a result, the populations of these regions face widespread poverty, are particularly dependent on sectors vulnerable to climate change and are more likely to be exposed to armed conflict."
"They therefore suffer a disproportionate burden of the compound crisis."
According to the NGO, the region has experienced 17 "frequent military coups" since 1960, which have interrupted economic planning and forced governments to focus their budgets on defense.
The NGO demanded funding for humanitarian access in addition to quick assistance.
