Mothers, children in northern Mali most affected by food insecurity due to conflict, drought

"Tens of thousands of people uprooted or trapped by conflict in northern Mali are going without enough food, leading to a spike in cases of children suffering from malnutrition, medical aid groups say," AlertNet reports. "The situation in northern Mali is also being compounded by a wider food and nutrition crisis across the Sahel region of West Africa, where the United Nations estimates that 18 million people are facing hunger due to a combination of drought, failed crops, insect swarms, and high food prices," the news service writes. "Aid workers warn that living conditions in Mali's troubled north will worsen unless security improves, enabling better access for humanitarian groups, and donors provide more funding for relief operations," AlertNet notes, adding that charity groups working in the region say mothers and children are being affected most by malnutrition (Fominyen, 6/28).