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Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
Posts: 5596
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 Wed Jul 06, 2005 11:38 pm No food aid as hungry flee Niger |
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| Quote: | BBC NEWS
No food aid as hungry flee Niger
Niger's government cannot afford to distribute free food to those hit by a food crisis, officials say, as hundreds of people flee to Nigeria.
Food crisis committee manager Seydou Bakary warned of a "nationwide catastrophe" if this year's harvests are even slightly deficient.
But he said it was hard to identify those who really needed free food.
Donors have largely ignored a United Nations appeal for funds to help the 3.5m people going hungry.
Aid agencies say some 150,000 young children are severely malnourished after poor rains and locust invasions devastated last year's harvest.
Sent home
Nigerian immigration officials say there has been a "substantial" increase in the number of people crossing from Niger.
There is chronic malnutrition throughout the country, even during the most productive harvests
Seydou Bakary
Food crisis committee manager
"They are fleeing from the famine facing them," said Hassan Suleiman Kangiwa, head of the Nigerian immigration service in northern Katsina State.
He said that security had been increased at border posts and that those without valid documents would be sent home.
Mr Bakary, however, told the AFP news agency that the issue was being "politicised" and that people always went hungry in one of the world's poorest countries.
"We should be cautious not to exaggerate the situation - there is chronic malnutrition throughout the country, even during the most productive harvests."
He did say that in some parts of Niger, people are only eating once a day and have started to eat wild plants because nothing else is available.
"It is almost impossible to identify with certainty the most vulnerable families in an area plagued by poor crops and food insecurity, which is why we will avoid free distribution of food until the situation demands it," he said.
There have been protests in the capital, Niamey, of people who accuse the government of ignoring the problems.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4655225.stm
Published: 2005/07/06 09:50:30 GMT
� BBC MMV
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