Food insecurity persists in Western Sahel due to COVID -19 and floods

In Tibesti, market access for very poor and poor households is limited due to low income levels in the face of rising food prices due to cross-border flows disrupted by insecurity. In the Lac region, civil insecurity continues to disrupt the livelihoods of the displaced as well as of the households hosting them.

The pastoral situation benefits from excess rainfall favoring good availability of natural pastures and a good level of filling of semi-permanent ponds. Animal body condition is normal. In the western Sahel, transhumance is slowed down by the level of humidity in the Sudanian zone; animals benefiting from pastoral resources in transit zones (Hadjer Lamis, Chari Baguirmi, etc.)

The cereal supply on the markets is below normal due to floods and cereal trade flows disrupted by high transportation costs. Additionally, an increase in demand from households having suffered crop losses due to the floods, leads to millet prices overall above the five-year average, as is the case in Ati and Moussoro. Access to markets is limited for very poor and poor households. A rise in the price of sheep is observed in the east of the country thanks to a timid recovery in exports to Sudan.

Households in Tibesti face difficulties in meeting their consumption needs due to their limited access to the market and they are in Crisis (IPC Phase 3). In the Lac region, household food security is under Stress (IPC Phase 2!) conditions thanks to humanitarian assistance. In BEG and Kanem, households are in Stress (IPC Phase 2) because of their limited access to markets caused by high prices in cereal markets. Most other areas are minimally food insecure (IPC Phase 1) despite the impacts of flooding and COVID-19.