The World Food Program (WFP) and the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) warned that the consequences of the armed conflict, internal displacement and restricted humanitarian access could push almost a million children under five years of age into acute malnutrition by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, another 200,000 people in Mali are at risk of starvation if they do not receive assistance.

The reality of the country confirms the consequences of the conflict shortly after the authorities requested the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers, scheduled to end in December.

Alarming figures released by WFP and Unicef estimate that more than 8.8 million people need to be reached this year, including 4.7 million children.

To this end, the two agencies urgently requested $184.4 million.

The funding, they said, will be essential to provide emergency food assistance to vulnerable populations and support medical services.

This includes fuel to keep vaccines cold and to purchase other supplies such as life-saving treatments for malnourished children.

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