Food insecurity threatens at least 600,000 people in the Tillabéri region of Niger – and the situation is deteriorating.

Preliminary results of the recent evaluation mission of the agro-pastoral campaign conducted by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and published in a situation report on October 1, indicate that the already precarious food situation of several thousand in the Tillabéri region will most likely worsen.

Those most affected are people living in the so-called “Three Borders” area, which is spread over more than 445 villages.

Most people have abandoned their crop fields because of recurrent attacks by suspected elements of non-state armed groups. Their access to markets has also been severely limited.

The 13 departments of the Tillabéri region are in a state of emergency. Many markets have closed and movement of people and their goods is restricted in insecure areas.

OCHA said food insecurity is seriously affecting children, most of whom are suffering from malnutrition. More than 1.8 million children under five are in need of nutritional assistance.

The situation is even more serious in the department of Banibangou where more than 79,000 people are at risk of food insecurity.

Between the months of June and August, several dozen peasants in the commune of Banibangou were killed in their fields by armed men, who are targeting farmers as well as citizens.

Because of this, most people have been forced to abandon their fields. The result of this is that food availability will be very low in the area and vulnerable people will have even less purchasing power.

To avoid this crisis, the authorities must take strong measures.

“The prevailing security tension in the region continues to have a negative effect on the functioning of local markets and contributes to the deterioration of the food and nutritional situation, as well as the livelihoods of households in the affected areas,” OCHA said.

Prices of all food had risen in September. Compared with the same period last year, the price of millet is up by 5.1%, 15.5% for sorghum, 37.1% for corn, 4.3% for rice and 53.1% for cowpea, according to the regional directorate of agriculture.

As of August 31, more than 765,000 people have been supported by humanitarian aid, according to the results of the regional workshop on the analysis of humanitarian needs in the Tillabéri region, held on September 15.

Of this figure, 259,532 people receive food security assistance, a 36% gap representing more than 145,000 people who do not receive food assistance under the 2021 humanitarian response plan, OCHA said.

“Much remains to be done, given the importance of the needs for a region which already hosts more than 100,000 internally displaced persons.”

OCHA said new displacements are being recorded in several departments, which contribute to the exacerbating vulnerability of the people.

“Strong measures commensurate with the scale of the situation must be taken by the government and its partners, to spare the Tillabéri region from a major food crisis,” it said.