Latest news with #MargotvanderVelden
Hamilton Spectator
6 days ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Muslims look forward to the annual Eid feast. Many Africans are now struggling to afford it
KARA, Nigeria (AP) — Muslim families across west Africa are grappling with the steep cost of rams for the traditional sacrifice that is central to the celebration of Eid al-Adha, a struggle that mirrors the region's deepening economic and humanitarian crises. At the Kara livestock market in southern Nigeria's Ogun state, ram sellers and buyers are in a bind. Prices have at least doubled compared with last year, slowing sales for what is usually a busy market packed in the lead-up to Eid. 'The ram that I bought for 200,000 naira ($127) last year, this year we started negotiating from 600,000 naira ($380),' said Abiodun Akinyoye, who came to buy meat for the festival. The U.N. World Food Programme said last month that over 36 million people are struggling to meet basic food and nutrition needs in West Africa and Central Africa, a number expected to rise to 52 million during this year's lean season from June to August. More than 10 million of the most vulnerable people across the region have been uprooted by conflict , the WFP said, added to other major drivers like food inflation and climate conditions like extreme weather. 'We are at a tipping point and millions of lives are at stake,' said Margot van der Velden , WFP's regional director. With a majority of Muslim populations in most of the worst-hit countries, families who previously bought rams to take part in the annual joyful festival are finding it difficult to sustain that lifestyle with some spending significantly more of their disposable income on trying to fulfill the religious rites. 'Everyone is suffering,' Nigerian ram seller Jaji Kaligini said as he lamented the cost-of-living crisis fueled by President Bola Tinubu's economic policies, such as a sudden removal of subsidies . 'We don't know what to do.' In countries like Niger , where growing insecurity have worsened the living conditions, the military government banned ram exports this year to stabilize local supply. While that has helped availability, it has affected tightened supplies in neighboring Nigeria and Benin. 'There's enough livestock (in Niger),' said Hasoumi Daouda, who was at a local market to buy ram. 'But it's the financial crisis that makes them too expensive to buy.' The challenge of hardship is also raising the question of how obligatory the ram sacrifice is for Muslims. The tradition is not mandatory for those who 'genuinely cannot afford it,' Bukola Hameed, a Nigerian Islamic scholar, said. However, those who can afford it also have 'a duty to share their meat with poorer neighbors,' another Islamic scholar, Mikail Adekunle, added. —— Adebayo reported from Abuja, Nigeria Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Muslims look forward to the annual Eid feast. Many Africans are now struggling to afford it
KARA, Nigeria (AP) — Muslim families across west Africa are grappling with the steep cost of rams for the traditional sacrifice that is central to the celebration of Eid al-Adha, a struggle that mirrors the region's deepening economic and humanitarian crises. At the Kara livestock market in southern Nigeria's Ogun state, ram sellers and buyers are in a bind. Prices have at least doubled compared with last year, slowing sales for what is usually a busy market packed in the lead-up to Eid. 'The ram that I bought for 200,000 naira ($127) last year, this year we started negotiating from 600,000 naira ($380),' said Abiodun Akinyoye, who came to buy meat for the festival. The U.N. World Food Programme said last month that over 36 million people are struggling to meet basic food and nutrition needs in West Africa and Central Africa, a number expected to rise to 52 million during this year's lean season from June to August. More than 10 million of the most vulnerable people across the region have been uprooted by conflict, the WFP said, added to other major drivers like food inflation and climate conditions like extreme weather. 'We are at a tipping point and millions of lives are at stake,' said Margot van der Velden, WFP's regional director. With a majority of Muslim populations in most of the worst-hit countries, families who previously bought rams to take part in the annual joyful festival are finding it difficult to sustain that lifestyle with some spending significantly more of their disposable income on trying to fulfill the religious rites. 'Everyone is suffering,' Nigerian ram seller Jaji Kaligini said as he lamented the cost-of-living crisis fueled by President Bola Tinubu's economic policies, such as a sudden removal of subsidies. "We don't know what to do.' In countries like Niger, where growing insecurity have worsened the living conditions, the military government banned ram exports this year to stabilize local supply. While that has helped availability, it has affected tightened supplies in neighboring Nigeria and Benin. 'There's enough livestock (in Niger),' said Hasoumi Daouda, who was at a local market to buy ram. 'But it's the financial crisis that makes them too expensive to buy.' The challenge of hardship is also raising the question of how obligatory the ram sacrifice is for Muslims. The tradition is not mandatory for those who 'genuinely cannot afford it,' Bukola Hameed, a Nigerian Islamic scholar, said. However, those who can afford it also have 'a duty to share their meat with poorer neighbors,' another Islamic scholar, Mikail Adekunle, added. —-- Adebayo reported from Abuja, Nigeria
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Muslims look forward to the annual Eid feast. Many Africans are now struggling to afford it
KARA, Nigeria (AP) — Muslim families across west Africa are grappling with the steep cost of rams for the traditional sacrifice that is central to the celebration of Eid al-Adha, a struggle that mirrors the region's deepening economic and humanitarian crises. At the Kara livestock market in southern Nigeria's Ogun state, ram sellers and buyers are in a bind. Prices have at least doubled compared with last year, slowing sales for what is usually a busy market packed in the lead-up to Eid. 'The ram that I bought for 200,000 naira ($127) last year, this year we started negotiating from 600,000 naira ($380),' said Abiodun Akinyoye, who came to buy meat for the festival. The U.N. World Food Programme said last month that over 36 million people are struggling to meet basic food and nutrition needs in West Africa and Central Africa, a number expected to rise to 52 million during this year's lean season from June to August. More than 10 million of the most vulnerable people across the region have been uprooted by conflict, the WFP said, added to other major drivers like food inflation and climate conditions like extreme weather. 'We are at a tipping point and millions of lives are at stake,' said Margot van der Velden, WFP's regional director. With a majority of Muslim populations in most of the worst-hit countries, families who previously bought rams to take part in the annual joyful festival are finding it difficult to sustain that lifestyle with some spending significantly more of their disposable income on trying to fulfill the religious rites. 'Everyone is suffering,' Nigerian ram seller Jaji Kaligini said as he lamented the cost-of-living crisis fueled by President Bola Tinubu's economic policies, such as a sudden removal of subsidies. 'We don't know what to do.' In countries like Niger, where growing insecurity have worsened the living conditions, the military government banned ram exports this year to stabilize local supply. While that has helped availability, it has affected tightened supplies in neighboring Nigeria and Benin. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. 'There's enough livestock (in Niger),' said Hasoumi Daouda, who was at a local market to buy ram. 'But it's the financial crisis that makes them too expensive to buy.' The challenge of hardship is also raising the question of how obligatory the ram sacrifice is for Muslims. The tradition is not mandatory for those who 'genuinely cannot afford it,' Bukola Hameed, a Nigerian Islamic scholar, said. However, those who can afford it also have 'a duty to share their meat with poorer neighbors,' another Islamic scholar, Mikail Adekunle, added. —– Adebayo reported from Abuja, Nigeria
Associated Press
6 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Muslims look forward to the annual Eid feast. Many Africans are now struggling to afford it
KARA, Nigeria (AP) — Muslim families across west Africa are grappling with the steep cost of rams for the traditional sacrifice that is central to the celebration of Eid al-Adha, a struggle that mirrors the region's deepening economic and humanitarian crises. At the Kara livestock market in southern Nigeria's Ogun state, ram sellers and buyers are in a bind. Prices have at least doubled compared with last year, slowing sales for what is usually a busy market packed in the lead-up to Eid. 'The ram that I bought for 200,000 naira ($127) last year, this year we started negotiating from 600,000 naira ($380),' said Abiodun Akinyoye, who came to buy meat for the festival. The U.N. World Food Programme said last month that over 36 million people are struggling to meet basic food and nutrition needs in West Africa and Central Africa, a number expected to rise to 52 million during this year's lean season from June to August. More than 10 million of the most vulnerable people across the region have been uprooted by conflict, the WFP said, added to other major drivers like food inflation and climate conditions like extreme weather. 'We are at a tipping point and millions of lives are at stake,' said Margot van der Velden, WFP's regional director. With a majority of Muslim populations in most of the worst-hit countries, families who previously bought rams to take part in the annual joyful festival are finding it difficult to sustain that lifestyle with some spending significantly more of their disposable income on trying to fulfill the religious rites. 'Everyone is suffering,' Nigerian ram seller Jaji Kaligini said as he lamented the cost-of-living crisis fueled by President Bola Tinubu's economic policies, such as a sudden removal of subsidies. 'We don't know what to do.' In countries like Niger, where growing insecurity have worsened the living conditions, the military government banned ram exports this year to stabilize local supply. While that has helped availability, it has affected tightened supplies in neighboring Nigeria and Benin. 'There's enough livestock (in Niger),' said Hasoumi Daouda, who was at a local market to buy ram. 'But it's the financial crisis that makes them too expensive to buy.' The challenge of hardship is also raising the question of how obligatory the ram sacrifice is for Muslims. The tradition is not mandatory for those who 'genuinely cannot afford it,' Bukola Hameed, a Nigerian Islamic scholar, said. However, those who can afford it also have 'a duty to share their meat with poorer neighbors,' another Islamic scholar, Mikail Adekunle, added. —-- Adebayo reported from Abuja, Nigeria
Zawya
09-05-2025
- General
- Zawya
More than 50 million in West and Central Africa at risk of hunger
More than 36 million are struggling to meet their basic food needs, which is projected to rise to over 52 million during the lean season from June to August, latest analysis reveals. This includes almost three million people facing emergency conditions, and 2,600 people in Mali who are at risk of catastrophic hunger. Although needs are at a historic high, resources are limited, with millions of lives at stake. 'Without immediate funding, WFP will be forced to scale down even further both in the number of people reached and the size of food rations distributed,' said Margot van der Velden, Regional Director for West and Central Africa. 'Extremely difficult and dire' In 2019, only four per cent of the population was food insecure compared to 30 per cent today, according to Ollo Sib, a senior research adviser with WFP. 'We hope that our voice will be heard because this food security situation in the Sahel remains extremely difficult and dire,' he said, speaking from Dakar to journalists in Geneva. Mr. Sib recently travelled to some of the affected areas, such as communities in northern Ghana grappling with unprecedented drought. 'They were forced to replant two to three times, and for them, each failed sowing is an additional financial burden as the cost of fertilisers and seeds were extremely high in those locations,' he said. The assessment team also went to northern Mali, which is the only place in the region where people are facing catastrophic food security conditions. 'We had the opportunity to interact with pastoralist elders who typically sell their livestock to buy cereals,' he said. 'This year they were worried because the cost of food rose by 50 per cent compared to the five-year average. But at the same time, they are not able to access markets to sell their goods.' Fighting, food inflation and floods WFP said unyielding conflict is among the factors driving deepening hunger in West and Central Africa. Fighting has displaced more than 10 million of the most vulnerable people across the region, including more than two million refugees and asylum seekers, in Chad, Cameroon, Mauritania and Niger. Nearly eight million more have been internally displaced, mainly in Nigeria and Cameroon. Meanwhile, food inflation exacerbated by rising food and fuel costs are pushing hunger levels to new highs. At the same time, recurrent extreme weather 'erodes the ability of families to feed themselves,' WFP said. Five million at risk WFP stands ready to respond and scale up vital assistance in West Africa and the Sahel. The UN agency is seeking $710 million to support its life-saving operations through the end of October. The aim is to reach almost 12 million people this year with critical assistance. So far, teams have already reached three million of the most vulnerable including refugees, internally displaced people, malnourished children under five, and pregnant or breastfeeding women and girls. The agency said that five million risk losing assistance unless urgent funding is found. Address root causes WFP also called for governments and partners to invest in sustainable solutions aimed at building resilience and reducing long-term dependency on aid. Since 2018, the UN agency has been working with regional governments to address the root causes of hunger through a programme that has rehabilitated over 300,000 hectares of land to support over four million people in more than 3,400 villages. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.
