22/7/2005
Niger: Famine Worsens But Funds Now Beginning To Flow In.

According to the UN, two and a half million people are facing famine in Niger, one of the two poorest countries on earth. The crisis is getting worse causing the UN to double its appeal for funds from $16million to $30.7 million. It may need even more, but with reports of children dying in large numbers money is beginning to flow in.

“Over the last few days, the world has finally woken up, but it took graphic images of dying children for this to happen,” UN Under Secretary General, Jan Egeland, said. “More money had been received over the last 10 days than over the last 10 months.”

This is too late for many children. Mr. Egeland did not know how many had died but the number was in the thousands, he said. This was confirmed by the World Food Programme's Country Director Gian Carlo Cirri who said last week that children were dying and adults were going hungry. " Niger needs help today, not tomorrow," he said. "The international community cannot allow Niger to live as if cursed by poverty."

For the last five years Niger has suffered from erratic rainfall. Less has fallen than what is needed to produce healthy crops. And recent crops have been savaged by a locust plague. The Government of Niger and the few agencies present in the country had tried to warn about the situation, said Mr Engeland and he had also tried to warn the international community. But the appeal went largely unanswered. Two months ago, he characterised Niger as “the number one forgotten and neglected emergency in the world.”

A much-needed airlift finally arrived this week in one of the hardest-hit areas bringing with it 16 tons of oil, sugar and plumpy'nut (a highly nutritious paste for young children). A further airlift will take place over the weekend with 40 tons of millet and 28 tons of oil. These are being organised by the French NGO, Réunir to Maradi, headed by the former Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Bernard Kouchner.