Thread by @MamadouSowICRC

THREAD!

This is why and how #ClimateChange and war make an explosive mix in the #Sahel and #LakeChad.

For millions in Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon & Burkina war is a dreadful reality of life. And, as if that’s not enough, comes #ClimateChange, exacerbating tensions between communities, deepening poverty & inequalities, weakening & disrupting people’s means of survival

Temperatures in the #Sahel are rising 1,5 times faster than the global average. Rains are erratic, and rainy seasons shorter. @UN estimates that roughly 80% of the Sahel's farmland is degraded even as roughly 50 million people in the Sahel who depend on livestock compete for land

Meanwhile, the #LakeChad, which straddles the 4 countries, has shrunk 90% since 1960s. Insecurity has compounded the food shortages. Fishermen can seldom access the lake, pastoral land are unsafe, farms inaccessible. People can no longer provide for themselves

IMAGINE: your village attacked, husband arrested, son killed, baby-girl abducted; you run. That’s your new home. It’s 50 degrees hot; no food, no water. Many in the #LakeChad don't have to imagine. That's their lived experience.

About 33 mil people in Sahel don’t have enough food. More struggle to safely access healthcare, ensure education for their children, work for adults. To survive, people can be confronted with difficult choices, including migrating along dangerous routes or joining armed groups.

Urgent action is needed to avert the situation getting worse and ensure communities are able to overcome these huge challenges and build a prosperous future. Tell us what you think!

For more information please visit: icrc.org/en/document/ma…