Sahel food crisis worsens

Mittwoch, 6. Juni 2012

Sahel food crisis worsens

Mali a coup, add months of fighting down a Tuareg rebellion, stir in the Islamists, bake under two to three years of drought, and you have no clear idea of who's in charge in Mali.

The conditions are a recipe for the failed state of Somalia. Worse yet, the role of Somalia in the Horn of Africa's food crisis turned a natural disaster into a man-made famine.

Is that what's in store for the Sahel region? Baptist Global Response executive director Jeff Palmer says, "The numbers are not quite as high as what we were seeing happening over Somalia. Our prayers would be that rains would start and we would not see those numbers, but indicators are that those numbers are going to come."

The situation is expected to remain critical over the next three to five months. According to the U.N. refugee agency, the refugees fleeing the conflict in Mali have created enough need for the agency to more than quadruple its aid appeal.

The U.N. estimates some 800,000 people in northern Senegal are going hungry, while 2.8 million in Burkina Faso need urgent help. Burkina Faso also has 60,000 refugees from neighboring Mali living in refugee camps. An estimated 18 million people are suffering from food shortages, and nearly 1.5 million children are near starvation. Palmer explains, "What we're trying to do is really respond to these folks who are coming to population centers for food, and respond to them in a way that gets them some basic supplies."

"We've got this complex humanitarian situation where you've got armed conflict, drought, and then you've got serious drought hitting this year. This is why we put out an appeal not just for the Horn of Africa, but an appeal for famine in Africa because this could be brewing toward a 'perfect storm.'"

Southern Baptists have responded with an initiative in Mali that will provide a six-month ration of grain and peanuts to help two villages with a combined population of about 3,000. In coordination with local leaders, three distributions will be conducted in each village over the course of four to six months. The project is being funded with a $366,200 disbursement from the World Hunger Fund.

Aid teams could face yet another challenge. It appears that the Tuareg rebellion is being met by better-armed Islamists who are being joined by other militants. As Somalia and Afghanistan are already experiencing similar situations, missions to get refugee supplies through militant strongholds intact are likely to be disrupted.

Palmer agrees. "We've actually had to delay some of the food dispersals because of security in the area. In the end, it's not the organization that suffers, it's the people who really need to get food for their families." Not only that, but wearing the name of Christ could also be risky. Local believers are part of the distribution network.

Danger won't stop their partners because there's a lot at stake, Palmer adds. "It does open up all kinds of doors. An act of kindness in the name of Christ, a cup of cold water, food given to the hungry: it's sort of like the Word of God never comes back void. That act in the name of Christ will never come back void, either."

The task is huge. The Sahel is a 3,400-mile expanse that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, between the Sahara desert to the north and the savanna to the south. Its name derives from an Arabic word that means "shore" -- the Sahel appears to run as a coastline along the southern edge of the Sahara's ocean of sand. The Sahel covers parts of Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, Cameroon, and Eritrea.

You can help save lives in this crisis by donating to BGR's Africa Famine Relief Fund or the World Hunger Fund.

Voice of the Gospel Christian Radio - Radio Stimme des Evangeliums

Mittwoch, 6. Juni 2012

Sahel food crisis worsens

Sahel food crisis worsens

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