Severe drought in Niger and Mali affects hundreds of thousands

Five months of severe drought in northern Niger and Mali has killed cattle and destroyed crops, affecting hundreds of thousands of people.

The crisis is compounded by inter-communal clashes between farmers and herders competing for land and scarce water sources, and by armed banditry.

“Accessing water and food becomes a daily struggle,” International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson Nicole Engelbrecht told Vatican Radio.

“It can cause tension between different communities, especially between the pastoralists and farmers because they’re competing for land, they’re competing for water sources,” she said. “So […] these types of clashes become even more severe in times of drought.”

The International Committee of the Red Cross is working in the region and has provided assistance to nearly 300,000 people.