Officials of the World Food Program (WFP) said that the situation described in the report, based on figures collected from 1995 to 1997, has not improved and in some places is getting worse. The report blames much of this on drought and war, rather than the effects of the deepening social crisis caused by capitalism and its impact in the semicolonial world. The study's harsh figures highlight the denial of basic needs to hundreds of millions around the globe.

In more than 20 countries drought conditions have affected 100 million people over the past year, compounding the effects of malnutrition.

The most severe situation exists in sub-Saharan Africa, where 180 million people--one-third of the population--is undernourished. Most seriously affected are Angola, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea.

The World Food Program's web site reports that in Western Sudan "wells, dams, and entire rivers have run dry on an unprecedented scale." As a result, "over 3.2 million Sudanese are facing serious food and water shortages due to the combined disruptions" of war and drought. Food prices in the drought areas have increased threefold. The WFP reports that it is providing food aid to a little over half of those needing help.

In the Horn of Africa more than 14 million peoples' lives are threatened by drought and famine. Ethiopia is hardest hit, with 10.5 million affected. Ethiopia suffered from droughts in 1973, 1984, and 1991, but this episode is the harshest.

The greatest number of malnourished people live in Asia, where 17 percent of the population or 525 million people are affected.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, 53 million people--11 percent of the population--lack adequate food. Haiti, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Honduras are most affected. Hurricane Mitch caused severe damage in Nicaragua and Honduras in 1998.

In Iraq, where Washington under the auspices of the United Nations has maintained a crippling economic embargo since the 1990–91 Gulf War, an estimated 15 percent of the population is suffering from hunger.

In the Balkans and particularly in Serbia, according to the WFP report, many people are "grappling with spiraling food prices and economic hardship." In December the WFP initiated an emergency program to feed nearly 1 million people in the Balkans. U.S. and NATO forces carried out massive bombings of Yugoslavia in 1994-–1995 and 1999.  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home