20 million people in 4 countries on the brink of famine

[TomSea]

By Tony Dokoupil CBS News March 11, 2017, 8:16 PM
20 million people in 4 countries on the brink of famine

Three countries impacted by President Trump’s new travel ban are among several African nations on the brink of starvation. The U.N. says years of war, poverty and drought have left more than 20 million people facing famine.

In search of relief, the hungry walk for miles, but without enough food to go around, vast stretches of Africa and the Middle East are now on the brink of famine.

“We stand at a critical point in history,” says U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien. “Already at the beginning of the year, we are facing the largest humanitarian crisis since the creation of the United Nations.”

On Friday, O’Brien warned world leaders that without a relief effort, millions could die -- further destabilizing the region.

Continued: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/20-million-people-in-4-countries-on-the-brink-of-famine/

With all due respect, in the past, the '80s, the world community would team together and try to stop the famine in Ethiopia, at least, half Christian.  The song came out, we are the world.

Now, what is happening in Africa and Yemen is from some headlines, the worse humanitarian disaster since World War II. So, this is pretty dicey. These are mostly or all Muslim countries, maybe Saudi Arabia, etc. should kick in on this. They are close to the area.

One doesn't want to be callous but the world has gone from caring about the hungry to now being worried about the Islamic threat to the world.

[Free Vulcan]

Obviously, we must bring all these in as refugees and put them on welfare. 

[SirLinksALot]

We don't have to bring them to the USA as refugees, BRING THE FOOD TO THEM.

We've done that many times in the past.

[truth_seeker]

My father, now gone over 20 years studied this subject perhaps 25-30 years ago.

He concluded that the nations' (black) Kings and Emperors and dictators, need/wanted and conspired for the people to be desperate, starve, and to die off.

One might think that modern agriculture, combined with education might pull these folks out of the stone age, and allow them to be food self-sufficient like much of the world is.

[mountaineer]

The U.N. says years of war, poverty and drought have left more than 20 million people facing famine.

The "Trump travel ban" is irrelevant to the problems these people face, then. Their own governments' incompetence and corruption could be a clue, though. The USA and countless aid agencies have been trying for decades, with gazillions of dollars spent, to help these folks drill water wells, plant crops, develop the economy and live like civilized people. Somehow, it just doesn't seem to "take."

[TomSea]

The "Trump travel ban" is irrelevant to the problems these people face, then. Their own governments' incompetence and corruption could be a clue, though. The USA and countless aid agencies have been trying for decades, with gazillions of dollars spent, to help these folks drill water wells, plant crops, develop the economy and live like civilized people. Somehow, it just doesn't seem to "take."

I don't know the intricacies of all of these countries but I can say:

Yemen, War
Sudan, War
Somalia, War
Nigeria, War.

Those are the 4 countries.

I did not know much about Biafra (which is in Nigeria) but I'd heard about it. Not only was it a bad civil war, a whole lot of kids died from famine.

And then, like you are saying,  with the governments, dictatorships and such, greed, spoil it.

Ethiopia has had some bad governments, the one that deposed Selassie was. But there were plenty of famines under Selaissie I'd think. It must be an involved topic to study.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

We don't have to bring them to the USA as refugees, BRING THE FOOD TO THEM.

We've done that many times in the past.

How about also bringing them farm implements and seeds and teaching them to fend for themselves too?

[IsailedawayfromFR]

I don't know the intricacies of all of these countries but I can say:

Yemen, War
Sudan, War
Somalia, War
Nigeria, War.

Those are the 4 countries.

I did not know much about Biafra (which is in Nigeria) but I'd heard about it. Not only was it a bad civil war, a whole lot of kids died from famine.

And then, like you are saying,  with the governments, dictatorships and such, greed, spoil it.

Ethiopia has had some bad governments, the one that deposed Selassie was. But there were plenty of famines under Selaissie I'd think. It must be an involved topic to study.

Three of these, Yemen, Sudan and Nigeria are blessed with abundant oil resources.

There is zero reason anyone in those countries to be starving other than local political situation.

Exactly what should the US or UN be doing to solve an internal situation? 

[The_Reader_David]

One might think that modern agriculture, combined with education might pull these folks out of the stone age, and allow them to be food self-sufficient like much of the world is.

The problem is modern agriculture is largely dependent on a temperate climate, and absolutely dependent on arable land with enough rainfall or convenient irrigation sources.  Africa has very little of that and can't grow temperate climate crops except along the Mediterranean littoral and once you get as far south as Zimbabwe, which, back when it was Rhodesia used to be the breadbasket of the continent.  Somehow stealing the land from the white farmers and giving it to black revolutionaries with no knowledge of farming ruined that.

[thackney]

Three of these, Yemen, Sudan and Nigeria are blessed with abundant oil resources.

There is zero reason anyone in those countries to be starving other than local political situation.

Exactly what should the US or UN be doing to solve an internal situation?

Yemen has oil resources but I don't know I would describe them as abundant.  Same with Sudan; South Sudan (separate country) has most the oil.

[TomSea]

Nigeria has a lot of oil, it's an oil powerhouse really and a lot of turmoil is in its oil producing region, the Delta.

[TomSea]

I haven't heard much about a threat to Nigeria per famine. Here, one of their leaders says there is no threat.

No threat of famine in Nigeria — Ogbeh On March 6, 201712:42 amIn NewsComments Abuja — The Federal Government has denied the reports by some United Nations’ agencies of imminent famine in Nigeria, saying there was no threat of starvation in the country. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, who made the denial when he featured at a News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Forum in Abuja, also said the Federal Government was doing everything possible to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production before the end of 2018.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/03/no-threat-famine-nigeria-ogbeh/

[thackney]

I haven't heard much about a threat to Nigeria per famine. Here, one of their leaders says there is no threat.

Famine looms for over 120,000 people in the areas most affected by the crisis in north-east Nigeria.

http://www1.wfp.org/nigeria-emergency

World Food Programme, Nigeria, Feb 2017

http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/Public/documents/ep/WFP290754.pdf?_ga=1.23367609.242244971.1489505130

[geronl]

One might think that modern agriculture, combined with education might pull these folks out of the stone age, and allow them to be food self-sufficient like much of the world is.

socialism and tyranny cause famine

[geronl]

  Same with Sudan; South Sudan (separate country) has most the oil.

except South Sudan has the most inept and messed up government it could possibly have

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Yemen has oil resources but I don't know I would describe them as abundant.  Same with Sudan; South Sudan (separate country) has most the oil.

I beg to differ on Yemen.  Yemen has oil flowing from a number of fields, and yields some dramatically lucrative economic wells.  So much, a number of western companies, in spite of the horrendous problem with rampart local tribes that institute kidnapping, robbery and murder, still are there producing oil at risk.  I have worked Yemen and am positive on its oil production and potential for more.  We even had a drilling foreman robbed at gunpoint taking logs back from a wellsite.

South Sudan has tremendous oil potential.  Fula oil field and Palogue oil field alone are almost 6 billion barrels proved.

South Sudan is one of the top investments for Chinese oil companies which control 75% of all oil expenditures in the country.

Only the fact that Sudan has been in a civil war for 4 decades has prevented realization of its resource value.

Am not confidant that the article specifically targets Sudan or whether it includes South Sudan in its assessment.

I am confidant in my assessment though, that local politics comprise the fundamental reasons there are poor peoples in these two countries that are blessed with natural resources.  Recall Sudan had control until recently of those oil provinces that were allowed to secede.

[thackney]

I beg to differ on Yemen.  Yemen has oil flowing from a number of fields, and yields some dramatically lucrative economic wells.  So much, a number of western companies, in spite of the horrendous problem with rampart local tribes that institute kidnapping, robbery and murder, still are there producing oil at risk.  I have worked Yemen and am positive on its oil production and potential for more.  We even had a drilling foreman robbed at gunpoint taking logs back from a wellsite.

I lived in Yemen for about 5 years in 93 and early 94 helping to develop the beginning of Canadian Occidental Masila Block.  Yes they have some very good wells.  Would you describe them of having an abundance of those wells?  I don't.  We had seismic trucks running all over the place, as did several other companies.  Oil was found,  but only in a few locations.  Falling production is not just a function of civil unrest.  We had people kidnapped on multiple occasions held for ransom.  It didn't slow down our work, just impact the cost of getting the oil out of the ground.

The area is VERY tribal.  Putting sufficient locals on the payroll made it much more economical to do business there.  Most of our problems went away when we hired local "guards". (bakshees)

South Sudan has tremendous oil potential.  Fula oil field and Palogue oil field alone are almost 6 billion barrels proved.

South Sudan is one of the top investments for Chinese oil companies which control 75% of all oil expenditures in the country.

Only the fact that Sudan has been in a civil war for 4 decades has prevented realization of its resource value.

Am not confidant that the article specifically targets Sudan or whether it includes South Sudan in its assessment.

South Sudan is a separate country, just like North and South Korea.  I referenced Sudan not having an abundance, while South Sudan has far more oil.

[TomSea]

One can say Mexico's wealth means they shouldn't have any major problems but they will have them and they will continue. They have lots of oil.  Wealth is concentrated.

Mexico has those problems; but if one wants to stir up things, raise the cost of bus tickets or the price of gas per gallon that happened a few months ago, and yes, they did have serious protests.

In some of these countries like Yemen, it is a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. So, the situation indeed is more complicated than just saying they should take care of it themselves.

Venezuela, etc.

[TomSea]

The reason Yemen is suffering from famine is directly because of that proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Sudan and South Sudan has been suffering from strife and war for decades now, Darfour?

And a lot of this is tied into the sectarian basis of these wars, Muslim, some Christian in Sudan or Tribal which South Sudan seems to be.

One can't assume they are Democratic nations and the problem should take care of itself.

In Nigeria it is likely that arid area in the Muslim North.

[thackney]

The reason Yemen is suffering from famine is directly because of that proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

That is making it worse, but some areas of Yemen have been under famine threat for decades.

Some areas go through arid periods that would last for many, many months with no rain.

[TomSea]

The Saudi Arabian led coalition has bombed the heck out of the infrastructure there, which probably wasn't too strong to begin with. Definitely, a key to these possible famines are the wars.

I don't know if we are even on the right side in Yemen, we have provided a good deal of logistical support for the coalition but have had limited involvement after that.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

I lived in Yemen for about 5 years in 93 and early 94 helping to develop the beginning of Canadian Occidental Masila Block.  Yes they have some very good wells.  Would you describe them of having an abundance of those wells?  I don't.  We had seismic trucks running all over the place, as did several other companies.  Oil was found,  but only in a few locations.  Falling production is not just a function of civil unrest.  We had people kidnapped on multiple occasions held for ransom.  It didn't slow down our work, just impact the cost of getting the oil out of the ground.

The area is VERY tribal.  Putting sufficient locals on the payroll made it much more economical to do business there.  Most of our problems went away when we hired local "guards". (bakshees)



South Sudan is a separate country, just like North and South Korea.  I referenced Sudan not having an abundance, while South Sudan has far more oil.

For the three countries, I will say again they have abundant oil resources, a lot of which are unexploited due to unrest within the country.

Abundant enough to provide for the welfare of those considered to be underfed.

These are predominately internal problems, either civil war/unrest or that the oil money does not trickle down to the average person to benefit from.

Very difficult for us to sit here and do something about it.