Guinea-Bissau cabinet minister warns of famine risk; NGOs unsure

After reports that Guinea-Bissau had become Africa's first narco-state, authorities are now worried that a famine might strike the unstable West African state.

Guinea-Bissau's agriculture minister recently warned on national radio on the imminence of a famine in the country, particularly in rural communities. The declaration, according to Jeune Afrique, 'left the humanitarian agencies perplexed.'

A Food and Agriculture Organization spokesman acknowledged that the lack of rain was a cause for concern but that "at this stage, [the FAO] doesn't have enough information or precise details to determine the amplitude of the problem."

The World Food Program said it was 'closely following the evolution of the situation.'