Displaying items by tag: Famine Alert

In an address to the Security Council, UN emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher warned that Gaza’s 2.1 million residents are enduring famine-like conditions after a ten-week aid blockade. He condemned the ongoing displacement of civilians, destruction of hospitals, and systematic denial of humanitarian access by Israel, urging immediate global intervention to prevent genocide. Fletcher described Israel’s alternative aid delivery proposal as a ‘cynical sideshow, a deliberate distraction, and a fig leaf for further violence and displacement’. He said that humanitarian agencies have the capability and verification systems to deliver aid responsibly, but are being obstructed. While the International Court of Justice reviews genocide allegations, Fletcher warned such action may come too late. He appealed to Israel and Hamas: ‘Will you act - decisively - to prevent genocide and to ensure respect for international humanitarian law? Or will you say instead, “we did all we could?”’

Fifteen years of civil war, combined with extreme poverty, a fragile political process and recurrent climatic shocks, have impacted strongly on Burundi’s economy and nutrition. Only 28% of the population have a sufficient, nutritious diet all year round and 58% percent are chronically malnourished. Food security for the majority of Burundians has not improved in recent years, despite a gradual return to peace. With a population growth rate of nearly 3% per annum and agricultural production having declined by 24% since the civil war began, people are going hungry. Even during the harvest season, families spend up to two-thirds of their income on food. Burundi is one of the countries identified by both the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) as being among the most affected by soaring food prices. After so many years of conflict, the capacity of the government to respond to this new challenge is limited.