16 Feb 2012

Catastrophe feared after poor harvests

5:11 am on 16 February 2012

Aid agencies are warning of a humanitarian catastrophe in the Sahel region of Africa following poor harvests in several countries.

United Nations officials say up to 23 million people are at risk of serious food shortages in Niger, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Senegal.

The Red Cross says the amount of funding so far pledged is way below what is needed to save millions of lives.