U.N. Warns ‘Worlds Most Devastating Famine’ Coming
Sean Adl-Tabatabai
YourNewsWire.com
August 12, 2017
The U.N. Security Council warned on Wednesday that the world will face the most devastating famine in its history “within years.”
According to the 15-member council, the U.N. is deeply concerned that warring countries such as Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria are all about to face a famine that could potentially see tens of millions of people die.
“[We have a] deep concern that ongoing conflicts and violence have devastating humanitarian consequences and hinder an effective humanitarian response in the short, medium and long term, and are therefore a major cause of famine [in these four countries]“, the U.N. said.
Reuters.com reports: “The Security Council calls upon all parties in Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia and northeast Nigeria to urgently take steps that would enable a more effective humanitarian response,” the statement said.
The United Nations appealed in February for $4.9 billion to combat what it calls the largest humanitarian crisis since the world body was formed more than 70 years ago, but U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said only 51 percent of that amount has been received.
“These four contexts are very different but one thing is in common – they are all affected by conflict, they are manmade and also the humanitarian access is hampered by the ongoing conflict,” Sweden’s Deputy U.N. Ambassador Carl Skau told reporters.
The statement also asked U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to brief the Security Council in October on impediments to responding to the risk of famine in Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia and northeastern Nigeria and make recommendations on how to overcome any obstacles.
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