UN Urges EU to Raise Funds for African Famine

The director of the United Nations’ food agency, the World Food Programme (WFP), has appealed to leaders of the European Union to help the agency raise much needed funds for several famine-stricken African countries.

WFP director, David Beasley, said in an interview on Monday that three African countries, namely Nigeria, Somalia and South Sudan, are either experiencing famine, or on the brink of famine.

He said the situation in these countries constitutes the worst global humanitarian crisis since the end of the Second World War.

Beasley also made an appeal for Yemen, where thousands of children are starving to death.

The World Food Programme needs at least US$1 billion to help these countries. Beasley spoke to reporters after meeting with the EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini.

“I’m here to appeal to the goodness of some of the wealthiest nations on the face of the planet to please continue to step up at a time such as this…I want the United States to contribute more, the EU to contribute more [sic],” he said.

According to recent numbers by the United Nations, more than 20 million people are facing famine in these countries, 5.7 million of whom are children. Those under the age of ten are at the highest risk of dying of starvation.

“Our numbers are showing us that if over the next three to four months, if we do not receive the resources we need to provide the food, you’re looking at the possibility of 600 000 children dying [sic],” Beasley said.

Beasley said that nations across the globe have been ‘distracted’ by several factors such as Brexit, French far-right politician, Marine Le Pen and the Donald Trump administration in the US, because the media is only reporting on these subjects and not on the increasing humanitarian crisis in Africa and Yemen.

Neither the EU nor the United States has officially responded to Beasley’s appeal for funding.