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45 countries need foreign aid to feed themselves, including 8 Arab countries (France Press)
The number of Arab countries facing food insecurity increased in 2011. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) announced today, Thursday, in a report that 45 countries need foreign aid for food, and the list includes Iraq, Lebanon, and Libya. Mauritania, Somalia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen.
An exceptional food shortage
In detail, Somalia, Lebanon and Syria came on the list of countries facing exceptional deficits in total food production and supply, with Somalia suffering from flooding, civil insecurity and locusts. The report estimates that around 1.6 million people are in need of emergency assistance between January and March 2021.
In turn, Lebanon is going through a financial and economic crisis. In August 2020, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia estimated that more than 55% of the population lives in poverty, which equates to two million and 90,000 people, up from 28% in 2019. Current figures are probably higher due to the reduction in household purchasing power, according to the “FAO” report.
Syria also faces conflict and a stagnant economy. A nationwide food security assessment estimates that around 12.4 million people (60 percent of the total population) are now food insecure, up 5.4 million from the previous level. end of 2019, mainly due to limited livelihoods and the rapidly deteriorating economy.
Severe food insecurity
Libya, Mauritania, Sudan and Iraq were on the list of countries facing severe and localized food insecurity. Libya faces civil insecurity, economic and political instability and high food prices. The 2021 snapshot estimated the total number of people in need of humanitarian assistance at 1.3 million (23% of the population), of which 0.7 million are in need of food assistance. Half of those in need of humanitarian assistance are internally displaced people or migrants residing or passing through the country.
As for Mauritania, it suffers from poor performance during the pastoral agricultural season. According to a recent analysis of the “Cadre Harmonisé”, around 410,000 people would need humanitarian aid between June and August 2021, due to the reduction in fodder production in the regions of Trarza, Brakna, Gorgol, Gedimakha and Asaba. There are approximately 67,622 refugees in the country, most of them from Mali, who need assistance.
For its part, Sudan faces civil insecurity, flooding and high food prices, and the number of people suffering from severe food insecurity was estimated at 7.1 million in October 2020.
Likewise, Iraq suffers from conflict, low oil prices and a slowing economy. The report identified 4.1 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2021, of which 2.4 million have urgent humanitarian needs. An estimated 435,000 people are severely food insecure, while 731,000 are vulnerable to food insecurity.
Great difficulty in reaching food
As for Yemen, it was included in the list of “generalized difficulties in accessing food”. Yemen is beset by conflict, poverty and soaring food and fuel prices. Between January and June 2021, the number of food insecure people is expected to increase from 3 million to 16.2 million. Of these, there are an estimated 47,000 people in the highest ratings of hunger, the “disaster.”
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