The World Food Programme said it is massively scaling up its food assistance operation in the West African nation of Niger, which is facing a severe drought. The agency is hoping to feed up to eight million people, many of whom have lost crops and livestock due to the drought. WFP executive director Josette Sheeran visited Niger on a fact-finding mission last week

Josette Sheeran: “We’re particularly worried about the children, and it’s why I’ve come to the center to really see the situation of the children, because their nutrition status is deteriorating very rapidly. And we’re seeing a doubling of acute malnutrition, almost overnight here, as we enter the lean season and the very difficult time. So, for the next six weeks, we really need the world to respond, to support the people of Niger, to make sure the children have adequate nutrition in their diet, and we’re really ramping up to do that.”