ECHO West Africa Regional Support Office in Dakar, and ECHO Country Offices in Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad.

Transcription

1 SAHEL Sitrep n 4 Period covered by report 15/12/2011 To 01/02//2012 Time of validity of report DG ECHO Field Office Number of people affected (source) hh/mm (local) hh/mm (UTC) ECHO West Africa Regional Support Office in Dakar, and ECHO Country Offices in Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad. Total population living in affected areas Source of information Population at risk * Source of information Niger DSPGCA ** SAP/ WFP*** Mauritania WFP / FEWS est CSA/ WFP Chad EFSA/ WFP est EFSA/ WFP est. Mali SAP SAP Burkina Min Agri SAP Senegal SAP/ WFP SAP/ WFP * Population at risk of not having the minimum requirement of 2100 Kcal/pers/ day **National Agency for the Prevention and Management of Food Crises. *** Niger estimated population at risk in April 2012: 6,4 Mio people Number of refugees and/or internally displaced persons (IDPs) (source) Number of dead (source) Number of wounded (source) Note: The government of Niger estimates an approx. 20% increase in the number of persons in severe food insecurity by April Such an extrapolation for the current number of persons considered at risk leads to an estimated 13 million persons in need of emergency food assistance from the month of April N/A N/A N/A 1. OVERALL SITUATION Erratic rains, poor harvests, returnees from the Libyan and Cote d'ivoire crises and rapidly rising food prices in 2012 are combining to aggravate massively the serious problem of persistent food insecurity in the Sahel. A considerable number (nearly 12 million) of the most vulnerable population already at risk from previous crises are now assessed to be at risk of food insecurity. UNICEF estimates that over 1 million children in the region will be exposed to severe malnutrition during the next hungry period. Many of the most vulnerable households in the region are already at a very low level of resilience. They have not had time to recover from the last food crisis in Household reserves are exhausted and many had to sell productive assets and to incur high levels of debt to survive. This low level of resilience has to be understood in the context that the countries of the Sahel are some of the poorest in the world. 4 of the Sahel countries rank at the bottom of the 2011 UH 1

2 Human Development Index (HDI). Of the 187 countries listed in the index, Niger is ranked 186, Chad 183, Burkina Faso 181 and Mali 75. No country in the Sahel is making real progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) especially MDG 1 (reduction in poverty and huger), MDG 4 (reduction in infant mortality) and MDG 5 (reduction in maternal mortality). The crisis in 2012 is therefore aggravating an already critical situation for many of the most vulnerable. All of these countries were already facing massive development challenges. And now they face a major humanitarian challenge. The extra caseload of vulnerable people as a result of this year's poor food production comes on top of a recurrent problem in the region of persistent wide-spread food insecurity and continued unacceptably high levels of global acute malnutrition. Assisting the governments to address these issues will need a careful mix of aid instruments. Humanitarian aid will provide the short-term response to alleviate suffering and save lives. But it is important that there is an increase in targeted and adequate long-term development assistance to help the governments address issues of low agricultural productivity (70 to 80% of the population live in rural areas and depend on subsistence rain-fed agriculture) and resolve the continued under-investment in food production (most countries allocate on average only 5% of their national budgets to agriculture, much less than the 10% target agreed in the declaration of the 2003 AU Maputo summit). More support also needs to be given to the health sector to strengthen national capacity to ensure the early diagnosis and treatment of malnutrition and to tackle the issue of too-high demographic growth (at 3.3%, the population of Niger doubles every 20 years). This is a complex and difficult region with a deteriorating environment with frequent droughts and growing desertification (the Sahel is in the front line of climate change with the Sahara creeping rapidly southwards). The growing security threats from the activities of terrorist groups (AQIM, Boko Harum etc) and the spill-over from the Libya and Cote d'ivoire crises also need to be appreciated. Analysis of needs The January 2012 joint CILSS/FAO/FEWSNET/WFP market and food security evaluation report confirms the overall cereal deficit in the Sahel at 2.6 million tons 1. The Sahel states most affected by this deficit are Mauritania, Chad and Niger. However, the overall cereal balance in West Africa may be in balance due to the reasonable harvest and good cereal production in the coastal states. The estimated level of production is now 39 million tons, which is comparable to 2010/2011 levels. A surplus of maize, a common lean period substitute for millet and sorghum in the Sahel, is expected in several coastal countries. Map of region showing zones with major deficits (source: OCHA): 1 The overall cereal production estimates for the 9 Sahel countries is not expected to exceed 16 million tons, which is a 25% decrease from last year and a 2% decrease over the average of the past 5 years. 2

3 The challenge with therefore be to ensure that food is moved from where it is in surplus to where it is in deficit. As in other years, commercial imports, government procurement for national food stocks and international food assistance should be able to ensure the availability of food in the Sahel to cover the localised deficits but this will be at high prices. The main issue will be how to ensure that the most vulnerable have adequate access to food. Prices are already high (over 30% in general more than normal for this time of the year) and rising. The extra transport and other costs in bringing food in from the coastal countries will be passed on to the consumer in the market. In a region that is one of the poorest in the world there is a considerable risk that many of the most vulnerable with few productive assets and who are already obliged to use most their income (70%) to buy food in the market in a normal year will be quickly priced out of the market this year and fall quickly into crisis. Subsidised and free general food distribution operations will ne necessary in the height of the "hungry period". Moving food from areas of surplus to areas of deficit will also require continued regional solidarity, open borders, managed markets and political action to limit speculation and price manipulation. The recent problems in northern Nigeria are of particular concern as they may block the transport routes for food into Niger and Chad. The situation with regard to commercial food trade movements differs from one trade basin to another. In the Western trade basin (Senegal, Mauritania, western Mali) cross-border trade is currently functioning well, allowing imported cereals (rice and wheat) to replace the shortage of local cereals on local markets. The increase in coarse cereal prices is 25-33%, whereas the prices for imported rice and wheat are stable. Cereal movements continue to be observed on the border between Mauritania and Mali with maize being exported to Mauritania to compensate the decrease in local sorghum production. In the Central basin, including the traditional grain producing zones of Burkina Faso and Mali, the market situation is more complicated with coarse grain prices experiencing major increases in price (50-60%). However, in the last 2 months, some slight price decreases have been reported in some markets of Burkina Faso and Mali. Maize continues to be imported from coastal countries, mainly from northern Côte d Ivoire and Ghana (where prices are reported to be rising). In Mali and Burkina Faso, trade restrictions imposed by governments are starting to impede the free flow of goods. This could interfere in a major way in the functioning of markets. In the Eastern basin comprising Niger and Chad, coarse grain prices have increased 30-40%. Traders in Northern Nigeria are holding considerable cereal stocks, including millet and sorghum and commercial flows have started to supply the Niger and Chad markets. However, the security problems in northern Nigeria need to be monitored closely as they are already slowing down cross-border cereal flows. Cereal availability in local markets in landlocked areas of western Chad is already low. 3

4 This year, staple food prices have not followed the usual pattern of a decrease after the harvest and are at present unusually high. The graph below shows prices in several major markets (millet prices compared to the five-year average). To be noted is that millet prices in Mali, a major millet producer, are currently significantly above normal seasonal trends (Bamako, Gao, Ségou): Figure 1: Evolution du prix au détail du mil, décembre 2011 par rapport à la moyenne quinquennale. 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 72% 77% 93% 47% 85% 24% 33% 54% 32% 20% 10% 0% Source: FAO/GIEWS data *= moyenne The prices for maize, a common "hungry period" substitute in the Sahel for local staples are also unusually high in some major coastal markets, e.g. Tamale and Kumasi markets in Ghana, where prices are currently about 60% above 5-year average. In Bol, Chad, maize prices are already 50% higher than the 5 year average. These high staple food prices are raising widespread concern over household food security impacts as they risk locking the poorest out of access to food. Another aggravating factor is the return of many unemployed men following the Libya and Cote d'ivoire crises and the end to the important remittances that were provided by these former migrant workers. The return of many Touareg fighters from Libya to Mali and Niger and the flow of arms into the region from looted Libyan arms depots are other sources of grave concern Increasing food insecurity on household level threatening the nutritional status: It is already clear that the "hungry period" of 2012 will be a very difficult one for many of the poorest households in the Sahel. It has already started abnormally early in many areas. With the increasing frequency of shocks over the past years the resilience of the poorest households in the Sahel (calculated at over 25% of the population) is almost inexistent. Most of the affected areas already suffer from chronic food insecurity with many households barely able to cover their minimum energetic food needs even in normal" years. They have had no time since the last crisis in 2010 to rebuild productive assets, to repay debts incurred to buy food and to strengthen their coping mechanisms. The poorest households in the Sahel already spend over 70% of daily revenue on food. Further increases in the cost of basic staple foods are already driving many households into full crisis, esp. in pastoral zones. As the terms of trade between cereals and livestock become increasingly unfavourable, access to cereals by households is becoming more difficult. Animal production, such as milk and meat, is also reducing. Increased livestock sales are already being reported to avoid total loss. A fall back on negative coping mechanisms such as migration of whole families and a reduction in essential expenditure including for food, etc. is already being reported. This is a further risk of increased child malnutrition. 4

5 FEWSNET has reported that acute food insecurity in some areas of the Sahel will reach level 3 of the IPC food security scale corresponding to crisis level between March and August Key messages from OCHA also refer to large numbers of people needing help corresponding to IPC Phase 3 moving to Phase 4 in some localised areas (emergency) if not enough assistance is provided on time. In Mali and Niger, where analysis exercises based on HEA approach have been carried out in some livelihood zones, results show that much of the most vulnerable households will face a deficit over the coming months (livelihood protection or even survival deficit; equalling to IPC Phase 4), i.e. pastoral and agro-pastoral areas in north-eastern Mali, south of Tessaoua and agro-pastoral areas of Diffa in Niger. The government of Niger now estimates that over 30% (over 5 million people) of the population are food insecure. This figure is expected to rise over 6 million by April. Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates remain above emergency thresholds. For 2012, UNICEF expects a severe acute malnutrition caseload of as many as 1,024 million children in the Sahel which is already close to the 2010 crisis level when the estimated caseload was 1,065 million children. The risk of severe localised food crises across the West African Sahel region has also been confirmed by the regional body CILSS at the occasion of the December 2011 regional Food Crisis Prevention Network RPCA meeting National response plans: Humanitarian aid through non-government agencies (UN and NGO) will complement the action of the existing government agencies in the region responsible for food crisis management. Over the years as a consequence of previous experience, many of the Sahel countries have put in place functioning mechanisms and national agencies to assess risks, identify the most needy and facilitate food distribution to mitigate the impact of crises. Much development assistance has been provided to strengthen these agencies and regional early warning systems. These early warning systems have provided the data on which decisions to prevent and mitigate the crisis are being based. It should be noted that the five Sahel states most affected have already declared a crisis and called for international assistance. The first was Niger in October 2011, followed by Mauritania in November 2011; Mali announce an Emergency Action Plan on 29 November and Burkina Faso released a response plan in favour of vulnerable population in November. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chad made a statement on 21 December 2011 appealing to the international community to help Chad respond to the food crisis.. 2. AID AND ASSISTANCE REQUIRED / NEEDS ASSESSMENT 2.1 Humanitarian Aid Overview by country Mauritania: Household food access for the poorest population is currently rendered difficult by a double crisis caused by high prices for imported staple foods (such as sugar and wheat) on which the country is very dependent and the deficit in local food production. The 2011/12 production shortfall affects both pastoralist and rain-fed agro-pastoralist communities. Production of millet, sorghum, and cowpea will be between 40% and 60% of an average year. Pastoral zones have been affected by the drying up of the main pastoral reserve in Hodh el Chargui and Hodh el Gharbi, Assaba, Gorgol and Guidimaka causing an early transhumance to Mali and Senegal. 5

6 A recent WFP market analysis shows that availability of cereals in most markets may not be a major problem, despite the failure of local production (mainly sorghum). The supply of local markets with imported wheat is currently being topped up by maize and rice coming in through Mali (see graph below). Transaction volumes for these staples are currently increasing significantly. As far as livestock is concerned, households are currently trying to sell large numbers, in anticipation of losses. Absorption capacity by urban demand is however limited and prices are already dropping. This means that household income generated from livestock will be reduced, affecting especially poorer households who depend on money generated through sale of small livestock to buy food. The main food security concern for 2012 lean season will therefore not be availability but access by poor households to these cereals, as prices remain high. An important point for consideration in humanitarian action is that cash & voucher operations (instead of in-kind food aid) should be feasible in most parts of the country. The population categories most at risk are the poorest households who do not own much productive assets and depend mainly on sale of labour and precarious self-employment for survival. The high staple food prices (sugar, wheat, rice, etc.) are also already causing major difficulties for many periurban poor households. The joint CSA/ WFP ESAM vulnerability survey of Nov./ Dec identified people in food insecurity in rural areas (24,6% of households), as well as people in urban areas: The preliminary results of the December 2011 SMART survey indicates that 6.8% of children under five are suffering from acute malnutrition, including 1.0% from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM). These results follow usual seasonal trends (post-harvest context) and are slightly higher than the ones obtained during the same season in 2010 (6.5% in Dec. 2010). Malnutrition rates are however expected to increase during the upcoming lean season when rates are usually above emergency thresholds in the most food insecure zones (Guidimaka, Gorgol, Tagant, Brakna, Assaba). Niger: the revised cereal balance sheet of January 2012 published by the government food security "Dispositif" indicates an increase in the gross deficit up to 692,500 tons (compared to initially estimated 519,639 tons). Pastoralist and agro pastoralists communities are the most affected by the uneven harvest repartition and a massive fodder deficit (of up to 50% of the needs). Food prices are still on the rise with markets functional except in the most remote especially pastoralist areas. This will reduce access for the poorest households to sufficient food to cover their needs In addition, cash opportunities through urban or rural labour may decrease dramatically due to decreased employment opportunities and increasing demands for work. Acute under-nutritional prevalence remains above emergency thresholds. The last nutrition survey (June 2011) showed a 12.3% global malnutrition rate for children under 5 year old, with 1.9% of them being in its severe form. More generally, malnutrition rates in Niger largely exceed emergency thresholds throughout the year. In 2011 following an exceptionally good agricultural year, over 290,000 children under 5 years old were treated for malnutrition in Niger alone. 6

7 Preliminary results for the 3 livelihood zones show an alarming food situation in the agro pastoral areas of Maine-Soroa and Diffa. All population categories will face food deficits until the next harvest season. The poorer categories will not meet their minimum energetic food needs (cf. graph below, showing a deficit for both survival and livelihood protection needs). Results from the zone, south of the Tessaoua and Maradi region, show a very alarming situation for poor and very poor households who both suffer from a very deep livelihood protection and survival deficit: the deficit equals about FCFA/ year/ household for the current consumption year 2011/ 12 (i.e. almost 200 EUR/ household needed in terms of external assistance until the next harvest). Results from the centre of Zinder region show poor and very poor groups will face a deficit, but less severe, the annual gap for 2011/ 12 being estimated at FCFA for very poor households (about 50 EUR/ year/ household). Chad: The food production deficit is particularly acute in the Sahel strip where a 56% production decrease from last year has been reported with some areas assessed a not having a harvest at all. In northern pastoral and agro pastoral areas, local cereal production is traditionally very low compared to needs, but this has shrunk even more this year (in Kanem only 5% of needs are covered by production; in Bahr el Ghazal only 16%). In other parts of the country, food production is estimated as being able to cover 40% to 50% of the consumption needs. High staple food prices are having a negative impact on the purchasing power of agro-pastoral and pastoral households. The terms of trade for sheep/millet in Ndjamena in December 2011 are below the ones observed during the 2010 food crisis. Evolution of millet and maize prices compared to 5 years average (source: SIM): Terms of trade sheep/ millet: Drought is affecting pastoralist communities resulting in bad pasture lands. And massive pest attacks by birds and grasshoppers and even localized locust attacks have been reported in centraleastern areas, such as Batha and northern Guera, devastating crops, pastures and wild fruit. It needs to be noted that state services are very weak in many parts of the country and are unable to prevent such pest attacks or regular animal epizootics, thereby further fragilising already weak livelihoods. In addition to these food production deficits, the Libya crisis has badly affected the local economy in northern and central parts of the country (leading to reduced income opportunities through trade; less food availability and price increase in markets, etc.). WFP report that 2.5 Million people are at risk of food insecurity. Updated survey data are expected soon. Mali: The 2011/2012 agro-pastoral season was marked by the low level of the Niger River as well as dry spells in agro-pastoral and pastoral areas in the northeast and in the west of the country. Cereal prices are on the rise and are already over the average of the past 5 years, making access very difficult for the poorest households in urban or rural areas. 7

8 The last nutrition survey (July 2011) shows a 10.9% Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate for children under five, out of which 2.2% severe acute malnutrition. Those rates are above emergency thresholds. The government Early Warning Cell (SAP) has identified a total of 159 communes at risk, totalling 2.9 million inhabitants. Of these 104 communes are considered to be facing food difficulties" and 55 communes are considered to be facing economic difficulties. Among those, an estimated 1.2 million people are likely to be at risk of food insecurity in the coming months. This evaluation is the basis for Government's action plan and response. However, despite alarming signals coming both from field observation and regional biomass maps, the north-eastern part of the country bordering Niger have not yet been mentioned by the Early Warning System as amongst those areas most at risk. The list of communes at risk is currently being revised by the national SAP and an increase is expected. In addition, WFP is currently finishing a household survey and results are expected soon. Save the Children UK, Oxfam GB and national SAP staff have conducted an Outcome Analysis exercise based on the HEA (household Economy Analysis) framework. Preliminary results for 6 livelihood zones show a very alarming food situation in the pastoral and agro pastoral areas of north-eastern Mali. Burkina Faso: As in the other countries, the agricultural campaign was late in most areas of the country. Erratic rains provoked pockets of drought with a great variability from a region to another. The most affected areas are the North, Sahel, Centre-North, East, Centre-West, Centre-East. 162 communes (total population of 5 million) have been identified by the government as zones at risk of food insecurity in 2012 (see map below). N O E S Kilometers LEGENDE Limite régions Limite provinces Zone à risque It should be noted that vulnerability mapping in Burkina Faso has so far been done exclusively based on cereal balance results and therefore needs to be completed with other vulnerability indicators such as household income and assets. Final results of the 2011/12 agricultural season are expected by end February In addition, the results of a WFP-led household survey and market analysis are expected soon. The livestock situation is globally good, but insufficient fodder due to drought has lead to early movements of cattle in some places. In the Sahel region, the arrival of cattle from Mali and Niger has already been reported. In order to understand how negative production parameters will affect household food access, a HEA Outcome analysis is being carried out by a number of NGOs. First draft results coming out from the east of the country (Tapoa region) show that very poor households (representing about 18% of 8

9 households or 10% of the population) will face a severe livelihood protection deficit, as well as a slight survival deficit during the coming months, meaning they will be obliged to sell essential productive assets and resort to negative coping mechanisms to cope with the situation. Assistance should target these categories in priority and could consist of targeted cash transfers, as well as support to livestock. 3. Civil Protection N/A 4. LOCAL RESPONSE Mauritania: The Government requested international assistance on 10 November The latest government response plan (118 MEUR) was officially launched on 29 January It includes food distribution, subsidised sales of staple food items ( Boutiques de solidarité ), nutrition response and cattle protection for 50% of the estimated needs of the plan. Niger: Niger's plan (54 MEUR) is the most complete in the Sahel region, but focuses for the moment on a first phase response for the last trimester 2011 only. This plan has a food and non-food, a nutritional and stock reconstitution component. The government reported in January 2012 that 65% of the plan had been implemented so far. The revised response plan is expected shortly and will cover two periods: February to May targeting 6 million people and June to September targeting 6.4 million people, based on the latest national dispositive/wfp estimates of future numbers of food insecure people (extrapolations done for January and April 2012). First phase activities include including CFW/FFW activities, unconditional cash transfers, animal destocking, subsidised sales of cereals, blanket feeding and treatment of malnutrition. Second phase activities focus on unconditional cash/food distributions, as well as seed distribution. Two operations of subsidised sales of cereals are to take place end of January and March Chad: Chad has not yet prepared an emergency response plan. However, the appeal for international assistance end of December 2011 includes the following measures: free circulation of goods and services, subsidized sales, support to off-season gardening and other income-generating activities by distribution of inputs; treatment of malnutrition, supply of animal feed and the rehabilitation of water infrastructure. It should be noted that these measures do not include targeted assistance for the poorest households who are most at risk of facing a food deficit soon, as no direct resource transfer to those households is planned yet. In line with this plan, the government has started subsidised sales of cereals in some parts of the country (mainly the Kanem region so far). However, the quantities to be sold are very low compared to overall food needs (e.g. Kanem: in average sales will cover food needs during 2 days per household), and will only be done in bulk which will not permit the poorest households to access the cereals. Mali: On 22 November, a 158 MEUR plan was presented to donors in Bamako during an extraordinary session of a joint donor/ government coordination committee. The current plan is not detailed and presents a list of actions. It needs more coherence and a linkage with the needs assessments. Food distributions are planned on a blanket basis without any targeting within communities. Market capacity is not taken into consideration but is based on a pure food-based approach whereas a cash component would also have been appropriate. Supply for these distributions will come partly from the official national grain reserve (Stock national de sécurité SNS), but most of it will be purchased on local markets. The potential negative impact on already high prices of local cereals needs to be monitored closely. The government of Mali government started free food distributions in 6 communes in Kayes in December 2011 (1,290 MT equalling full rations for approximately 13,000 households for 1 month), out of the 104 communes to be targeted ( pilot distributions ). Burkina Faso: The government intends to first attempt to respond with its own means and systems and only make direct bilateral requests to donors where considered necessary. The official response 9

10 plan plan de soutien aux populations vulnérables aux crises alimentaires was validated by the National Council of Food Security in December The current draft plan defines 4 main components starting in January These are a food component (subsidised sales of cereals, free food distribution), non-food (maize production), nutritional and national stock replenishment component. Its initial cost which needs some updating is estimated at more than 111 MEUR of which only 9.1 MEUR has so far been mobilised by the government to start local cereal purchase. INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE US: USAID is expected to announce the mobilisation of a substantial contribution in response to the Sahel food crisis in February USAID/Food For Peace (FFP) is processing a request for 11,900 MTs consisting of bulgur wheat, pulses, CSB and oil (covering food needs of approx households during 1 month). In addition, FFP has issued an amendment to the Annual Program Statement on the Sahel for both Title II and International Disaster Assistance (IDA) funding under the Emergency Food Security Program (EFSP) to address emergency needs in the Sahel. Priority countries include Niger, Mauritania, Mali, Chad and Burkina Faso. UN: WFP has drafted a Regional Response Framework in close coordination with UNICEF. It estimates that more than 430,000 MT of assorted food commodities and 51.3 MUSD of cash and vouchers will need to be distributed to the most vulnerable households. The peak of the requirements for the nutrition activities is expected to be between April and September (blanket feeding period) and for food security between July and September (targeted assistance). Based on these requirements, it is estimated that the nutrition and food security components of WFP s Regional Response Framework (excluding the regional Special Operation) will require funding of 546 MUSD (full cost recovery). So far, UNICEF appealed for 67 MUSD for 8 Sahelian countries at the end of January Bilateral: France has provided 10 MEUR for Sahel. Belgium has provided 2 MEUR and DFID 7.8 million GBP for Chad and Niger so far. EU: DG ECHO has adopted a phased response approach in line with food security needs of most affected households, in addition to continuous resilience building, the main phases being crisis mitigation and preparedness, emergency response and recovery/resilience building: A total of 115 M has so far been allocated by DG ECHO in response to the crisis from different Decisions and Budget Lines. In Phase 1, (the Mitigation and Preparedness phase) DG ECHO has been supporting food assistance interventions targeting the households most at risk of a food deficit in order to avoid further degradation in the nutritional status of the poorest population categories in the affected areas. As food is still be available in most areas, interventions have been largely cash based. The DG ECHO Emergency Decision of 10 MEUR which was adopted on 6 December 2011 was used for this phase. In addition to this decision, DG ECHO has allocated 8.5 MEUR in Chad from 2011 funds to support short-term mitigation activities. A further 10 MEUR of EDF resources from the 10 th EDF B envelope for Chad will be used to support WFP and UNICEF emergency pipelines. Phase 2 corresponds to the Emergency response phase (from March to September) when the specific nutritional needs of children and pregnant and nursing women will be given priority. During this stage, an integrated food security/nutrition approach will be used, i.e. all villages identified for targeted household food assistance will benefit from nutrition interventions as well. In addition, the treatment of acute malnutrition cases and referral will be scaled up. DG ECHO is mobilising an additional 50 MEUR for this phase. This funding will be targeted on cash/ food transfers at household level during 6 months and blanket supplementary feeding for children under-two and pregnant and nursing feeding women, the treatment of severe acute malnutrition and to increase access to primary health care. 10

11 At country-level: Mauritania: There are a limited number of international humanitarian partners in Mauritania. UN: WFP is at the forefront of the international response, and is the final stage of the approval of an EMOP to support over 380,000 people. This plan is in line with, although not integrated in government's response plan. CERF funding for several UN agencies of about 4 MUSD has also been mobilised. EU: The mobilisation of about 8 MEUR from EDF resources is currently on-going. A part of it is intended for immediate crisis response and the rest as top-up for on-going targeted cash transfers in the medium term. Niger: Humanitarian agencies are active throughout the country. Niger was the first country to develop an emergency response plan and preparations for a major response in cooperation with the international community are well advanced UN: The UN launched a CAP for Niger in early December for 229 MUSD. In early December 2011, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) allocated 6 MUSD to WFP, UNICEF and FAO to jump-start emergency interventions to address food insecurity. WFP will review its current response strategy budgeted at MUSD million for 3.3 million beneficiaries and will develop an emergency operation (EMOP) based on the findings of the vulnerability assessment. The revised plan is likely to focus on targeted food and cash for assets, unconditional transfers and nutrition support activities; an expansion of the caseload anticipated for March to September. EU: A 10 MEUR replenishment of the EDF B envelope took place at the end of 2011 to strengthen national stock replenishment, as part of the national response plan. US Food For Peace is mobilising MT of food items for Niger that are expected to arrive in the region from March/ April onwards. In the meanwhile cash-based interventions will be supported. Chad: The international humanitarian community in the Sahel part of Chad has limited capacity due to the multiplication of crisis scenes (refugee and IDPs crises, epidemics, food crisis). UN: WFP plans to scale up its activities under its current PRRO which includes provision for recurrent drought-related needs. Initial plans include provision for blanket feeding, general food distributions, food-for-work activities and targeted supplementary feeding for children. EU: A 10 MEUR replenishment of the EDF B envelope has been agreed and will be managed by DG ECHO. Mali: UN: WFP have finalised an 11-months EMOP for over 47 MUSD to support 769,000 beneficiaries. Planned activities are: targeted household food assistance, nutrition, school feeding, FFW and support to national grain reserves. The international aid response in Northern Mali will be hampered by growing insecurity in some severely affected pastoralist zones, especially in Gao and Kidal. Burkina Faso: The government has sent a request for funding to donors at the end of January 2012 to address the funding gap of its response plan. It will be important that coordination is boosted. UN: WFP is extending its current PRRO until May Activities will focus on the three most vulnerable regions and will prioritize nutrition activities. Civil Protection N/A 5. Overall Recommendation / action 11

12 The response to the crisis requires a phased approach and close coordination between humanitarian and development aid agencies. An important proportion of the population in the Sahel is chronically vulnerable to food insecurity, and this vulnerability is increasing with the higher frequency of crises. This is preventing the poorest households from re-building resilience to further shocks. The current mitigation phase should continue to support food access for the most vulnerable through targeted household food assistance in the form of cash, food vouchers or food aid. Urgent funding is required to ensure the food and nutrition products pipelines for the emergency phase and to ensure the surge in human resources to meet the scale of the crisis. This requires early funding of WFP, UNICEF and other actors to prepare adequately for targeted food assistance and supplementary blanket feeding for the population at risk in the affected areas. 12