Niger/Mali: ICRC supports stockbreeders hit by drought
NIAMEY, Niger, May 28, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ — In the region of Agadez, northern Niger, and in the regions of Gao and Tombouctou, northern Mali, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is buying up 38,000 head of livestock from over 10,000 stockbreeding and farming families suffering the combined effects of insecurity and drought.
According to estimates, almost 70% of herds are threatened by the drought currently affecting the entire Sahara/Sahel region. Jürg Eglin is head of the ICRC’s regional delegation in Niamey, Niger, which covers both Niger and Mali. He explains that “the ICRC is trying to help the people of northern Niger and northern Mali through this particularly difficult period of transition.”
The ICRC’s assistance consists of buying livestock from small stockbreeders at pre-crisis prices, in order to inject cash into the economies of vulnerable families and stabilize the price of livestock on the market by reducing supply. The animals purchased, chosen from among the weaker members of the herds, are slaughtered. Their meat is dried and distributed to those most in need. The operation started two months ago and will shortly be coming to an end. The ICRC has been working closely with the veterinary services of Niger and Mali.
Those animals with a chance of survival receive veterinary care and feed. “Thanks to the ICRC, we can care for our families and look after the remaining animals,” points out one breeder from northern Niger.
Distributions of food and seed to some 45,000 families will be starting in the near future.
The ICRC is one of the few humanitarian organizations operating in northern Niger and Mali. The organization works closely with the Red Cross Societies of the two countries and coordinates its activities with the authorities responding to the food crisis.
SOURCE
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
