Harvest assessment of cereal production : Mauritania, Mali, Burkina [Faso], Niger, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia

However, crop failures and distribution problems are threatening the region"s eastern third. The northern regions of Ethiopia showed a grave shortfall in cereal production due to drought-induced crop failure and civil war. To meet the needs of some 3.5 to 5 million people at risk of famine, at least 750,000 metric tons of emergency aid is required. The at-risk population in southern Sudan, while much smaller than that of Ethiopia, is at 275,000 and increasing as fighting intensifies between the government and guerilla soldiers. The internal strife in both countries is hindering or even preventing the delivery of emergency food supplies to the vulnerable areas. Niger will also need emergency food aid to help in meeting localized food shortages. In the other Sahelian countries discussed here (Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Chad) and in government-held areas of Sudan, harvests coupled with other resources, i.e., in-country stocks, programmed food aid, food imports, and non-farming activities, will cover national consumption needs. Traditional coping mechanisms appear to be functioning well in localized areas experiencing production shortfalls, except in the highly deficit areas of Niger and in Mauritania"s Senegal River valley.