The World Bank has budgeted $40 million in assistance to Niger, which despite being an exporter of uranium and target for billions of dollars of investment in oil, faces severe food shortages, according to United Nations humanitarian agencies UNHCR.
According to the UN aid chief John Holmes the Niger food crisis has gotten worse than the last emergency in 2005. He said the country is better prepared to face it due to government cooperation.
The junta which ousted Tandja has promised to hand over power to civilians by February 2011, but has not yet named a date for elections. About 60 per cent representing 7.8 million people face severe food shortage.
Source: Africa News
(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)