Europe grants 20 million euros to African Sahel
(DAKAR) - The European Commission granted 20 million euros in aid to countries in Africa's Sahel belt, to combat malnutrition and ahead of the period between harvests in 2010, it said in a statement Monday.
"The European Commission has granted an extra 13 billion CFA Francs (20 million euros or 27 million dollars) in the fight against malnutrition in the Sahel", it said in a statement transmitted to AFP in Dakar.
"Acute malnutrition remains an emergency in the Sahel, one of the poorest regions in the world", the EC said about the region that stretches across the northern part of the African continent.
The Commission also said a number of indicators pointed to a "particularly early and difficult" period between harvests in 2010.
The price of perishable foods remains very high in the Sahel, but the irregular rainfall in 2009 affected the production of cereals and fodder for livestock.
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