By David Gold
January 23 – Top African stars competing in this month’s African Cup of Nations, including Barcelona’s Seydou Keita (pictured) and Newcastle’s Demba Ba, have joined forces with Oxfam to call for an end to hunger across the continent.
Last year was traumatic for Africa, with a drought hitting Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda particularly hard, and millions are still suffering as a result.
In addition to that, a lack of rain meant harvest yields dropped by 25 per cent, pushing food prices up and compounding the crisis.
Now another potentially devastating drought is threatening the west of the Sahel region in North Africa, which takes in Mali, Niger, Senegal and Burkina Faso, all competing in the African Nations Cup in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, which got underway this weekend.
The national teams of those four countries have called upon Governments and the international community to protect the millions of people suffering from the food crisis now set to afflict the Sahel, which will leave one million children facing severe malnutrition.
Videos have been filmed featuring players from these teams, which will be shown during the tournament as part of a widespread appeal for help.
Keita, who is preparing to charge Mali’s campaign at the African Nations Cup, said: “If we act now we could save the lives of women and children who are always the first victims of food crises.
“If we act urgently, millions of children will be saved from malnutrition and will have the chance to grow healthily and to succeed at school.”
Oxfam spokesperson Eric Hazard said: “While the situation in the Sahel is serious, the worst is not yet inevitable if we act swiftly.
“We know about this coming crisis months earlier than we have in the past, meaning we can act now to save more lives and protect the livelihoods of many more people.
“This is why we are delighted that footballers across West Africa have spoken out in solidarity with their fellow citizens to call for early action to win the match against hunger.”
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