As the first shipments of emergency aid reached feeding centres in Niger, accusations are mounting that economic policies imposed on the country from outside contributed to the food shortages affecting up to three million people.
Some aid specialists blamed the International Monetary Fund and the European Union. Their economic programmes have contributed to sharp rises in the prices of staples such as sorghum and millet. Others said the Niamey government had downplayed the emergency to protect local food traders who are resistant to free aid because it undermines markets.
Johanne Sekkenes, the mission head of MSF which is mounting the biggest emergency exercise in its history in Niger, says the current emergency could have been avoided.
Ms Sekkenes said the International Monetary Fund and the European Union had pressed Niger too hard to implement a structural adjustment programme. “No sooner had the government been re-elected [this year] than it was obliged to introduce 19 per cent VAT on basic foodstuffs. At the same time, as part of the policy, emergency grain reserves were abolished.”
International agencies say the price of basic foodstuffs has risen between 75 and 89 per cent over the past five years. At the same time, the sale price of livestock - the main income source of the country’s nomadic herders - has fallen by about 25 per cent. Although the food emergency in Niger has been pending since last autumn when rains ended early and the towns of Agadez, Maradi, Zinder and Tahoua were hit by successive invasions of locusts which devoured crops, it took until last week for aid shipments to begin in earnest.
Last autumn, a first call for funds for Niger by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) met with no pledges. On 8 July, hoping to capitalise on the African focus of the G8 summit at Gleneagles, the WFP renewed its call. But of the $30m (£17m) it requested, donors came up with only one third. Forty-four tons of high-energy biscuits sent by the WFP arrived at the weekend. France also pledged a €4.6m (£3.2m) increase in its food aid contributions. Mr Kouchner said his charity, Réunir, had taken in more than 64 tons of food aid in three weeks.
typical the G8 at it again exploiting the poor regions of the world even watching as people starve to death in africa disgraceful capitalism at its most disgusting level!
Re: IMF and EU Are Blamed for Starvation in Niger!
^ He is spreading the word, my man. He is educating people who are loaded( UTD, PD, GP etc) to open up their hearts and help those poor people in Niger.
Re: IMF and EU Are Blamed for Starvation in Niger!
:( Where is the ummah, why can't they help? Oh, that's right. We don't have an Islamic State and if we did, surely they would will feed their starving brothers.
Re: IMF and EU Are Blamed for Starvation in Niger!
Odd isn’t it that the UN had been screaming about this for nearly 18 months now. But nobody cared. Bury your head in the sand when you are responsible for the death of innocent people.
Re: IMF and EU Are Blamed for Starvation in Niger!
IMF and European Union are the cause of price rises in Niger and this if from western agencies own mouths. The G8 claim they doing it for the people of the World but reality is they doing it for thier own pockets as usual totally dispicable!
Re: IMF and EU Are Blamed for Starvation in Niger!
To blame the west on each and every trouble in the world and having no qualms to stay on as a pest in the west requires a skin that is thicker than the skin of a pig.
Isnt the west atleast stepping in now. What is the ummah doing. Where has it burried its head or does it have a head....
Re: IMF and EU Are Blamed for Starvation in Niger!
Stepping in how? Like Malawi where the US and EU used the GMO issue to make sure that Malawi suffered another year of famine and starvation? Its amazing how many people are ignorant in this day and age. Churchil was right:
Men occassionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry on as if nothing had happened.
Re: IMF and EU Are Blamed for Starvation in Niger!
rash guy u really love the capitalist west that much your nose must be dark brown by now, read the post 3 times before you comment, also who r u refering to as having no qualms living in the west speak for yourself!
**
Some aid specialists blamed the International Monetary Fund and the European Union. Their economic programmes have contributed to sharp rises in the prices of staples such as sorghum and millet.
Ms Sekkenes said the International Monetary Fund and the European Union had pressed Niger too hard to implement a structural adjustment programme. "No sooner had the government been re-elected [this year] than it was obliged to introduce 19 per cent VAT on basic foodstuffs. At the same time, as part of the policy, emergency grain reserves were abolished."**
this starvation was no accident as you can see or maybe you cannot i wouldnt be surprised!
Re: IMF and EU Are Blamed for Starvation in Niger!
Starvation is not an accident. If the govt of those countries does not have the capabilities to deal with it then it is not an accident. The foult lies with the govt. in these countries who care a **** about their people. Why blame the west for everything. What is the guarantee that the food reaches anyone if the officials in these countries are so blatently corrupt. Only later when their own existance is in danger that they cry foul.
Re: IMF and EU Are Blamed for Starvation in Niger!
Why everyone has to fight to get their point out?
After reading this, to me it is very clear that there was an issue with the IMF and EU policies. On the other hand, there was no help from any of the oil rich Muslim countries as well, despite the warnings from UN many many months ago. Both are to blame.
Bury your head in the sand when you are responsible for the death of innocent people.