New harvests improve household food access in relatively calmer areas

Households' access, particularly among host households, to the new crops currently being harvested (early millet, cowpea, maize, fonio) and the ongoing food and cash distributions should help improve household food access and reduce the destocking of goods. However, in Soum, Oudalan, and Yagha provinces, which are under blockade or have difficult humanitarian access, poor host households with no access to their fields and poor IDPs continue to have large consumption gaps, as their assets are depleted to make purchases at record prices. They continue to be exposed to Emergency acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 4).

Despite the Defense and Security Forces (FDS) attempts to mount an offensive, militant armed groups continued to demonstrate their ability to carry out attacks. This month, two attacks on military convoys between Djibo and Bourzanga in the north resulted in significant civilian casualties.  In addition, there were increased incidents in previously relatively calm areas in the west (Banwa and surrounding provinces) and northwest (Nayala province). Threats along key supply routes continued to limit the supply of staples to markets and keep prices at record levels, with August prices 120-170 percent above the five-year average in Titao, Djibo, and Sebba  markets, which remain under blockade.

The continued steady rains in the country support crop growth and maturation as harvesting activities begin, particularly for maize, early millet, fonio, cowpeas, and groundnuts. However, in addition to the reduction in the area planted due to insecurity and the decline in cereal crop yields due to the late use or under-use of fertilizers, field damage from flooding along the rivers in the west of the country and localized threats from granivorous birds (Oudalan and Bougouriba) are factors that could cause agricultural production, particularly cereals, to fall below the five-year average.

The increase in the number of closed health facilities (195 in August 2022 compared to 183 in 2021) continues to deprive the population of healthcare services and limit the prevention and treatment of malnutrition. In addition, higher-than-average rainfall and the resulting localized flooding have worsened sanitation conditions and exposed people to water-borne diseases and malaria. This situation could aggravate the high prevalence of acute malnutrition observed in July in sites with an increased presence of IDPs (SMART Rapid), exceeding 15 percent in the communes of Gorom-Gorom and Séguenega and ranging between 10 and 14 percent in the communes of Pissila, Gorgadji, Thiou, Bani, Kaya, Kongoussi and Gayéri.