UN General Assembly
1980

218. It is no less ironic that the preceding two development decades have witnessed a marked aggravation of the world food situation, especially in Africa, where it has been accentuated by drought and other natural disasters. The food crisis in the Sahel is one of the most serious effects of drought in Africa in recent times. This problem was eloquently brought into the limelight when our head of State, Alhaji Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, addressed the thirty- third session of the General Assembly in his capacity as Chairman of the Conference of the Heads of State and Government of the Permanent Inter-State Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel. The Assembly, as well as the entire international community, was sensitized to the drought and its long-lasting effects on the Sahel. It is my duty, therefore, to remind the international community that despite national efforts and international intervention, the situation in the Sahel has not improved significantly. This year, the rains came very late, and most Sahelian countries have been hit by drought. Consequently, by mid-August, the Sahel had an estimated deficit of 800,000 tons of cereal grains needed to feed its populations. We therefore call upon the international community to rally to the timely appeal made by the current Chairman of the Inter-State Committee, President Moussa Traore of the sister Republic of Mali.