A UN expert on food rights urged the international community to act to prevent a looming crisis threatening several millions of people in west and central Africa, reports the Independent Online. During his visit to Ghana, Olivier de Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, warned of a full-scale food and nutrition crisis that would be triggered by drought. Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger are already affected, while there are concerns over Burkina Faso, Senegal, Nigeria and Cameroon.
"The [drought] season will come earlier and last longer than usual. This will leave the Sahel hugely reliant on food imports, which will have to be acquired at sky-high prices. This could spell disaster for millions of people whose food needs will rise as their purchasing power plummets," he said