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Lean and mean – the Sahelian states battle the annual food crisis

As insurgents take over wider swathes of territory, climate change and population shifts are threatening harvests

Cereal production has risen across most of West Africa and the Sahel but the region’s annual lean season – la soudure – has started, heightening risks of malnutrition. The official figures report that 46.5 million people will need food aid, a slight drop from last year. But accurate data is hard to come by because large areas of Mali, Burkina Faso and northern Nigeria are now under the control of armed insurgents – beyond the reach of governments and international agencies.

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