The West and Central Africa region is the epicentre of a fast-growing crisis with unprecedented levels of armed violence and insecurity. Millions of people are being driven to the fringes of survival due to the confluence of conflict, deep poverty, demographic pressures, urbanization, weak governance, chronically high food insecurity and malnutrition, and the impact of climate change. The compounded impact on the most vulnerable people is devastating and causing persisting, fast-escalating needs. More than 64.5 million people in the region need assistance and protection in 2022, 4.5 million more people than in 2021. More than one person in 10 requires assistance and protection. It is predicted that about 5 million additional people will need assistance and protection, bringing the total to 69 million people in 2023 - due to considerable additional pockets of vulnerabilities and high incidences of extreme poverty across the whole region.
Violence and climate shocks are the main drivers of a dramatic food crisis, with over 75 million people (15 per cent of the region's total population) experiencing severe food insecurity. This year, the region's number of acutely food insecure people is the highest in the last eight years. It is predicted that north-east Nigeria and Burkina Faso, which are experiencing extreme hunger, will slip into famine if conditions worsen.
Conflicts in the region show no signs of abating, and they continue to take a heavy toll on civilians. Millions are caught between armed groups, intercommunal violence and military operations, and are forced to flee their homes to seek safety. Over 10 million people have been forcibly displaced internally or outside their country because of more security incidents, attacks and kidnappings than ever before.
Climate-related disasters are proliferating in the region, and extreme weather events this year are more significant and increasingly pushing vulnerable families deep into crisis. Floods, as well as severe droughts, have been recorded in several countries. Many regions affected by severe weather conditions have already been struggling with high levels of food insecurity, malnutrition, instability and violence. In addition, floods impacted hygiene and sanitation and increased the incidence of waterborne diseases. In 2021, flooding affected 1.4 million people in 15 West and Central African countries. While the rainy season continues this year in many countries in Central Africa, floods have so far affected 5.8 million people in 20 countries. Many areas are recording excess rainfall, potentially indicating upcoming trends in extreme rainfall events in the coming years.
Abeche, Chad
This learning centre teaches agricultural practices that help improve access, availability and utilization of food. It has become a test site for community development in the region.
OCHA/Federica GabelliniThe region’s crises are, first and foremost, protection crises, with a significant lack of access to basic services. Women and girls bear the brunt of the violence and are at heightened risk of sexual and gender-based violence. Yet adequate resources to protect girls and young women remain limited. Insecurity and conflict continue to affect household incomes and disrupt access to protection, education, health, food, and WASH services. As these crises deepen, entire generations are affected. More than 12,400 schools are closed or non-operational due to violence, jeopardizing children's future but especially the future of girls, as they are most likely to be removed from school, married off or engage in negative coping mechanisms. Girls are the least likely to return to school after prolonged interruptions.
While needs are at an all-time high, reaching people in conflict-affected areas is an ongoing challenge due to rising criminality, kidnappings and military operations. Aid workers are increasingly at risk; in the region, they are increasingly threatened, kidnapped or killed, particularly national aid workers. Large parts of the region have become inaccessible to humanitarian agencies, leaving communities without access to life-saving assistance.
Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo
A woman and her baby at a camp in Bunia for displaced people who fled violence.
OCHA/Wassy KambaleProjected situation in 2023 and beyond
In 2023, millions of crisis-affected people in West and Central Africa will remain in a dire situation. The current inflationary spiral fueled by the war between Russia and Ukraine will continuously worsen the food security crisis in many countries in the region. It will continue to have significant complications on food security given the high reliance on wheat imports from both countries, their roles in global food markets, and Russia's prominence in global energy and fertilizer trade. This is aggravating inflation in the region and exacerbating pre-existing vulnerabilities. The current socioeconomic conditions risk intensifying civil unrest and increasing the risks of hunger-related riots.
The region is increasingly becoming a ground for geopolitical struggle among great powers, leading to increased sociopolitical tensions in fragile and volatile contexts. These tensions could further deteriorate stability and exacerbate existing poverty and vulnerabilities.
Despite humanitarian needs in the region continuing to rise, humanitarian response funding remains inadequate, and the crisis is outpacing the response. Donors prioritizing other regions and shrinking funding will pose a significant challenge to the humanitarian response in 2023 in West and Central Africa.
Gongulong, Nigeria
Violence forced Ali Bukar and his family to leave Gongulong a few years ago to seek safety. They have now returned to continue working on their family farm.
OCHA/Damilola OnafuwaAdditionally, the ongoing crisis in the Central Sahel and violence and attacks by armed groups are potentially spilling over towards neighbouring coastal countries in the Gulf of Guinea. The security situation in Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Togo, bordering Burkina Faso, has significantly deteriorated in 2022. The situation risks deteriorating in the coming years due to the worsening of the conflict in Burkina Faso if no measures are taken to address insecurity.
In Central Africa, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic (CAR) and Cameroon, the persistence of conflict and violence continues to worsen the humanitarian situation in several provinces and massively force people to displace to seek safety. In DRC, the resurgence of active armed groups in the east is significantly increasing displacement — about 5.7 million people are currently internally displaced in DRC. Since April 2021, accidents in CAR due to landmines and explosive ordnance have multiplied, particularly in the west, where the conflict has intensified and with civilians as the main victims. In Cameroon, the situation in the North-West and South-West regions remains volatile, and the number of attacks against civilians continues to rise.
