The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have warned about the threatening "humanitarian emergency" crisis in West Africa's Sahel region.

The two organizations in a joint statement expressed deep concern over the situation in the African region, saying millions of people face starvation amid regional insecurity, drought and poor harvests, AFP reported.

"We are troubled by the acute humanitarian emergency in the Sahel region where hunger threatens the lives of 19 million people and the stability of the region," the organizations’ joint statement said.


"Food security and food price volatility remain persistent threats to development and merit continued attention,” it added.

The Sahel region is a belt of land including nearly a dozen of the world's most impoverished countries on the southern rim of the Sahara.

This comes as the UN Security Council announced a resolution on October 12, which gives West African nations 45 days to offer details of a plan for a military intervention in Mali.

The text, unanimously approved by the Security Council’s member states, condemned the violations of human rights in the north of Mali by armed rebels, terrorists and other extremist groups.

Mali plunged into chaos after the country’s democratically-elected government was ousted in a March coup. Tuareg rebels initially took control of two-thirds of the country.

However, militants took advantage of the power vacuum created by the coup to seize the northern parts of the country.

Once a detailed plan for military intervention in Mali is received from the West African regional body ECOWAS (The Economic Community Of West African States), the African Union and the United Nations, the Security Council would consider a second resolution to approve the move.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon and aid groups have warned a military operation needs careful planning and that pouring arms and weaponry into the region would further affect millions of people in the region.
Press TV