News outlets report on USAID’s new humanitarian initiative, Resilience in the Sahel Enhanced (RISE), as well as the U.N.’s announcement of a three-year response plan in the region.

IIP Digital: USAID Commits New Funds to Help Sahel Nations Build Resilience
“The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has allocated $130 million to help the Sahel nations of Burkina Faso and Niger build resilience to repeated shocks and stay on their development paths. The combined humanitarian aid and development commitment is for the first two years of a five-year effort to help families and communities ‘get ahead of the next shock,’ said USAID Assistant Administrator Nancy Lindborg in introducing the Resilience in the Sahel Enhanced (RISE) initiative February 3 at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome…” (McConnell, 2/4).

Devex: A new approach to resilience in the Sahel
“The Sahel is not as much of a hot-button issue as it used to be for the aid community, but the African region continues to be severely affected by conflict, poverty and especially malnutrition — with up to 20 million food insecure expected this year. … On Monday, the United Nations and its partners launched at the Food and Agriculture Organization’s headquarters in Rome the next three-year response strategy with about $2 billion in funds. … At the same venue, the United States also unveiled Resilience In the Sahel Enhanced, its new initiative to support resilience in the region…” (Pasquini, 2/4).