Close to US$2 billion are needed to address the food and malnutrition crisis in the Sahel region of West Africa, according to the UN.

20 million people in the Sahel are currently food insecure, the humanitarian envoy for the region has warned on Thursday.

The Sahel runs through south of Africa’s Sahara Desert, which is plagued by chronic food shortages, a situation exacerbated by the impact of climate change, natural disasters and armed conflict.

Some 145 million people in nine countries live in the region.

Mr Robert Piper gave Cristina Silveiro an overview of the situation.

Duration: 4’05’’