LogFAQs > #884799140

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/jun/16/lake-chad-crisis-one-meal-a-day-pictures


The extreme north of Cameroon is suffering a food shortage exacerbated by climate change and conflict with Boko Haram. Fighting has spread across the borders from Nigeria into the countries of the Lake Chad region creating a refugee and famine crisis. It was once a tourist destination, but now people fleeing violence are housed in unnamed camps where they are lucky to get a meal each day

Ibrahim said: Its important that people know they can come here. Since August 2014 people have been running here after the attacks in their village. There was no assistance for these people, so we brought them into our house.

In the past I had one bag of maize to feed myself and my family. Now with all these people I need three bags of maize and its quite difficult for me. The costs are increasing. I need more money to support all these people.

Climate change now sees the rainy season arrive two months late. Venturing into the wilderness to find wood is a huge undertaking in such a desolate area. Without the firewood, there would be nothing for people to sell to purchase food for their one meagre daily meal.

Faltas village in Cameroon was attacked in the middle of the night. The room where her children were sleeping was set on fire. One of her children died. Falta fled with her children that same night. Two of her sons aged seven and nine remain in hospital, while her seven-year-old son Modou suffered severe burns. Falta now lives in an IDP camp with her children. She forages for firewood in the open bush to sell for money to buy food.

Fatimatou said: The food is not enough these days. In the night the children keep having stomach pains. They keep crying.

Their temperatures rise. I do not eat well because of the children. I'm worried because when he falls sick I remember that he is an orphan and his parents are not here. Before we were eating three meals a day, but now we only eat when we can. I feel angry. I want the children to go to school so they can become something.

Amina said: “In the night they came. They took the village and said, who wants to come with us? Those that didn’t want to come with them, they killed. I have not seen my husband since the attacks. I've had no news from him.

I may not eat, but not my children, they have to eat at least once a day. And if we don’t have anything, I go to the forest and take some leaves and eat those. All day all I can think about is my children,how do I feed them?

Most people here do not have ID cards, they were lost or destroyed in the conflict. Securing a new one is very difficult, often requiring a birth certificate from ones place of origin. Because of the conflict many places no longer even exist. Without an ID card, children like Aichadou cannot apply for a place at school and must make do with practising French on the wall of her house.

Personally, for me this is very hard,Sa Majesté said. Some of the children live in tents, others are living in open spaces. Some of them are naked. These people cannot go back to their villages.


TL;DR:
- The lake is drying up, drought and famine are everywhere
- A lot of people are being driven into joining Boko Haram because attacking villages is the only way to eat
- Thousands are dying and millions are displaced

Unless Angela Merkel thinks the EU can accept another 20+ million refugees, there needs to be an intervention to restore this area of the world, either that or we could see millions already dying from climate change. It's not some future threat that people will have to worry about in 50 years.
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