
By Francis Ajuonuma with agency report
Nigeria has been listed among six countries at the highest risk of famine, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has indicated.
The Northeast of Nigeria was named as the area that will be hit by the famine in the country.
Also listed are Somalia, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Yemen.
However, the IRC said that it has been disappointed that a deal has been brokered for only 60 days for the Black Sea Grain Alliance before its expiration, saying that: “While it is good the deal was renewed, 60 days is far too short.”
The IRC also said according to tolonews.com, that the UN must reenergize its “High-Level Task Force on Preventing Famine, prioritizing countries at highest risk”
Meanwhile, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the Black Sea grain corridor deal, which was one of the main agreement points between Russia and Ukraine after the war, expired on March 18.
“As a result of our talks with the two sides, we have secured an extension to this deal which was ending on the 19th of March,” he said.
This comes as the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released figures of vulnerable population on Twitter, saying that it is vital the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan is adequately funded.
“For 23 million people across Afghanistan with 12 million of them women and girls were provide with food aid. Last year, the WFP was able to provide more than 1 million metric tons of food materials and of $326 million in cash to the vulnerable families across Afghanistan,” said Wahidullah Amani, a spokesman for the WFP Afghanistan.
“Our demand from the aid organization and the international community begin the development aid for the people of Afghanistan. So that we can reach out economic self-sufficiency for the people of Afghanistan,” said Abdul Latif Nazari, deputy Minister of Economy.
Earlier, a UN spokesman, the UN food agency needs approximately $800 million to reach out to the people in need within six coming months.