Global perspective Human stories

Lean season and COVID-19 transmission fears keep Sahel aid chief up at night 

Lean season and COVID-19 transmission fears keep Sahel aid chief up at night 

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In Africa’s central Sahel region, millions of people do not have enough to eat – and between the lean season and the encroaching COVID-19 pandemic, there are real fears that the situation is spiralling out of control. 

In an interview with UN News’s Daniel Johnson, Chris Nikoi, the World Food Programme (WFP) Regional Director for West Africa, says that he can’t sleep at night for worrying about the potential impact COVID-19 restrictions will have on humanitarian operations. 

In an internet call, the veteran aid worker explains how the new coronavirus has exposed dire struggling public services, particularly in Burkina Faso, where more than 1,200 health centres have closed and nearly 800,000 people are now displaced.  

Audio Credit
Daniel Johnson, UN News, Geneva
Audio Duration
5'54"
Photo Credit
WFP/Simon Pierre Diouf