A look at the threat of starvation in Africa, by the numbers

OTTAWA – Canada has answered the UN’s call for urgent humanitarian aid to avert the prospect of starvation for some 20 million people in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen.

A look at some of the numbers behind Friday’s announcement:

— Canada will contribute $119.25 million: $27 million for Nigeria, $21 million for Somalia, $37 million for South Sudan and $34 million for Yemen.

— An estimated 8.5 million Nigerians are in need of humanitarian assistance, 5.1 million of them facing severe food insecurity.

— Roughly half the population of Somalia, more than six million people, require humanitarian assistance.

— In February, the UN declared a famine in parts of South Sudan, affecting an estimated 100,000 people. Up to one million are at risk of starvation.

— An estimated 10.3 million Yemenis require immediate life-saving assistance, according to aid organizations.