Close to 13 million people are facing acute hunger and malnutrition in the Sahel region of Africa, Christian Aid has warned.

The aid agency said the situation had been brought on by a "perfect storm" of failed rains, widespread drought, spiralling cereal prices, migrant unemployment, and mass population displacement due to regional conflict.

It has launched an appeal to continue its programme of food distribution across Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

"Christian Aid have launched this crisis appeal because there is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to save lives and prevent the loss of livelihoods on a similar scale to what we recently saw unfold in East Africa," said Cristina Ruiz, Christian Aid’s Africa humanitarian programmes manager.

Seeds are being given to people in Mali as part of Christian Aid's cash-for-work programmes. In Burkina Faso, malnourished children are receiving emergency food aid and nutrition kits.

Emergency response projects are also being scaled up in Niger, the aid agency said.

In addition to its own response, Christian Aid said there was an urgent need for donor countries to provide the $460m still needed to reach the United Nations' recommended target of $724m to avert a major food crisis.

"The longer these funds are delayed, the more costly the response effort and the more dangerous the situation for the people affected," said Ruiz.

"Without a prompt and effective intervention, there is high risk that this will develop into an extreme crisis by May 2012."

The Sahel has been blighted by food shortages in recent years.

This year alone, Niger has experienced a shortfall of more than 500,000 tonnes of grain and 10 million tonnes of animal feed, the aid agency warned.

In Mali, 11 per cent of the country’s cereal production has been lost, and in Burkina Faso, deficits could leave as many as two million people at risk.

To donate to Christian Aid’s West Africa Food Crisis Appeal please visit www.christianaid.org.uk/westafrica, call 08080 004 004, or donate £5 by texting ‘CRISIS’ to 70800