OPERATIONAL costs of the United Nation's World Food Programme (WFP) will increase by $136 million in West Africa this year because of the global rise in food and fuel prices driven by the war in Ukraine, the agency said. The additional costs will hamper attempts to relieve a spiralling food crisis in the region fuelled by conflict, drought, pandemic-linked border closures and the impact of Ukraine's crisis on food prices and availability. The WFP was already struggling to expand its response to an "unprecedented food and nutrition crisis" in West Africa, and was forced to cut rations in seven countries…