According to latest reports by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), over 16 million men, women and children across the Sahel region of West Africa are at risk of food shortages in the coming months. This includes up to over 1.5 million children under the age of 5, who are at severe risk. The current numbers of people at risk are:"5.4 million people in Niger""3.5 million people in Mali""1.7 million people in Burkina Faso""3.6 million people in Chad""0.7 million people in Gambia""0.7 million people in Mauritania""0.7 million people in Senegal"These figures are expected to rise as the annual ““hungry”” period between harvests has started early this year.In direct response to severe food shortages in the region, I have announced two urgent packages of UK support to help mitigate the crisis, one in January and the other on 14 March. Through this support, British aid will help treat over 400,000 people across the Sahel in 2012. This will include:"155,000 children and women benefitting from improved nutrition, of which over 87,000 children under 5 will be able to be treated for severe acute malnutrition;""153,000 people who will receive food;""a further 104,000 men, women and children, who will benefit from community livelihoods support such as animal feed and animal vaccinations and cash and or in-kind transfers."In addition to our direct support British aid is also reaching those in need across the Sahel through the release of £22.8 million from the United Nation's Central Emergency Response Fund—to which Britain is the leading contributor.My officials continue to monitor the situation closely and liaise with their opposite numbers in other Governments to ensure that other countries take their fair share of the response.