Latest news with #Ethiopia
Malay Mail
15 hours ago
- Health
- Malay Mail
UN: Gaza disaster reminiscent of Ethiopia, Biafra famines
GENEVA, July 29 — The UN's World Food Programme warned today that the disaster unfolding in Gaza was reminiscent of last century's famines seen in Ethiopia and Biafra in Nigeria. 'This is unlike anything we have seen in this century,' WFP emergency director Ross Smith told reporters in Geneva. 'It reminds us of previous disasters in Ethiopia or Biafra in the past century,' he said, speaking via video-link from Rome. 'We need urgent action now.' His comments came after the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC) warned Tuesday that 'the worst-case scenario of famine is now unfolding in the Gaza Strip'. The IPC, a UN-backed group of organisations used as a monitor to gauge malnutrition, insisted that 'immediate,, unimpeded' humanitarian access into Gaza was the only way to stop rapidly rising 'starvation and death'. 'Disaster is unfolding in front of our eyes, in front of our television screens,' Smith said. 'This is not a warning: this is a call to action.' Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza on March 2 after ceasefire talks broke down. In late May, it began allowing a small trickle of aid to resume, amid warnings of a wave of starvation. The IPC said its latest data shows that 'famine thresholds' have been reached in 'most of the Gaza Strip'. The IPC alert did not amount to a new famine classification, it said, but was intended to draw attention to the crisis based on 'the latest available evidence' through to July 25. But Jean-Martin Bauer, WFP's food security and nutrition analysis director, insisted that 'what we're seeing is mounting evidence that a famine is there'. 'All the signals are there now.' — AFP
LBCI
15 hours ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Gaza disaster reminiscent of Ethiopia, Biafra famines: UN
The U.N.'s World Food Programme warned Tuesday that the disaster unfolding in Gaza was reminiscent of famines seen in Ethiopia and Biafra, Nigeria, in the 20th century. "This is unlike anything we have seen in this century. It reminds us of previous disasters in Ethiopia or Biafra in the past century," WFP emergency director Ross Smith told reporters in Geneva, speaking from Rome, insisting that "we need urgent action now." AFP
Malay Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
UN chief: Hunger must never be a weapon of war, as Africa battles deepening food crisis
ADDIS ABABA, July 29 — UN chief Antonio Guterres on Monday said food must not be used as a weapon of war as world leaders gathered for a food summit in Africa, where 280 million people face chronic hunger. The African Union urged donors to provide greater support for the world's poorest continent, which is struggling with poverty, unrest and the effects of climate change. A new report co-authored by several United Nations agencies found global hunger fell slightly in 2024 thanks to progress in Asia and South America. But 8.2 per cent of the world — an estimated 638 to 720 million people — still faced hunger last year, and the situation was worsening particularly in Africa, where the figure is 20.2 per cent. 'Hunger fuels instability and undermines peace. We must never accept hunger as a weapon of war,' Antonio Guterres told the UN Food Systems Summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa via video link. 'Climate change is disrupting harvests, supply chains and humanitarian aid,' he said. He highlighted the worsening crises in Sudan and Gaza. The World Health Organisation has warned that malnutrition in the occupied Palestinian territory has reached 'alarming levels' since Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza on March 2. In late May, Israel began allowing a trickle of aid to enter, but more than 100 NGOs have warned that 'mass starvation' is spreading. Millions going hungry The summit takes place against the backdrop of aid cuts by the United States and other Western nations that are badly affecting much of the developing world. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, head of the African Union's executive commission, told the summit that food insecurity was on the rise across Africa, blaming 'climate shocks, conflicts and economic disruptions'. 'At this crucial moment, how many children and mothers on the continent are sleeping hungry? Millions, certainly,' he said. Youssouf said more than 280 million Africans were malnourished, with 'nearly 3.4 million… on the brink of famine' and some 10 million displaced by drought, floods and cyclones. He urged AU member states to devote 10 per cent of their gross domestic product to agriculture to help foster 'nutritional resilience'. 'But we cannot do this alone. We call on our partners to honour their commitments to finance and support African solutions,' he said. 'Not good news' The UN report made clear how far there was to go to meet its goal of ending world hunger by 2030. Current projections suggest some 512 million people will still be undernourished by the end of the decade, 60 per cent of them in Africa. 'Global hunger figures have slightly improved compared to 2022 and 2023,' Alvaro Lario, president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, told AFP. 'But we have not come back to the levels of five years ago. This is not very good news.' Four of the worst five countries for food security are in Africa: Nigeria, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia. The UN report highlights 'persistent inequalities', with women and rural communities most affected, and the gap widening further over the previous year. 'Despite adequate global food production, millions of people go hungry or are malnourished because safe and nutritious food is not available, not accessible or, more often, not affordable,' it said. It found the response to price spikes between 2021 and 2023 was 'more coordinated, informed and restrained' than the previous inflationary shock during the 2007-08 financial crisis. Some 2.3 billion people had to occasionally skip a meal in 2024 and are considered moderately or severely food insecure — 335 million more than in 2019. — AFP
Jordan Times
a day ago
- Health
- Jordan Times
Hunger must never be 'weapon of war', UN chief tells Africa food summit
ADDIS ABABA — UN chief Antonio Guterres on Monday said food must not be used as a weapon of war as world leaders gathered for a food summit in Africa, where 280 million people face chronic hunger. The African Union urged donors to provide greater support for the world's poorest continent, which is struggling with poverty, unrest and the effects of climate change. A new report co-authored by several United Nations agencies found global hunger fell slightly in 2024 thanks to progress in Asia and South America. But 8.2 per cent of the world -- an estimated 638 to 720 million people -- still faced hunger last year, and the situation was worsening particularly in Africa, where the figure is 20.2 per cent. "Hunger fuels instability and undermines peace. We must never accept hunger as a weapon of war," Antonio Guterres told the UN Food Systems Summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa via video link. "Climate change is disrupting harvests, supply chains and humanitarian aid," he said. He highlighted the worsening crises in Sudan and Gaza. The World Health Organization has warned that malnutrition in the occupied Palestinian territory has reached "alarming levels" since Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza on March 2. In late May, Israel began allowing a trickle of aid to enter, but more than 100 NGOs have warned that "mass starvation" is spreading. Millions going hungry The summit takes place against the backdrop of aid cuts by the United States and other Western nations that are badly affecting much of the developing world. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, head of the African Union's executive commission, told the summit that food insecurity was on the rise across Africa, blaming "climate shocks, conflicts and economic disruptions". "At this crucial moment, how many children and mothers on the continent are sleeping hungry? Millions, certainly," he said. Youssouf said more than 280 million Africans were malnourished, with "nearly 3.4 million... on the brink of famine" and some 10 million displaced by drought, floods and cyclones. He urged AU member states to devote 10 per cent of their gross domestic product to agriculture to help foster "nutritional resilience". "But we cannot do this alone. We call on our partners to honour their commitments to finance and support African solutions," he said. 'Not good news' The UN report made clear how far there was to go to meet its goal of ending world hunger by 2030. Current projections suggest some 512 million people will still be undernourished by the end of the decade, 60 per cent of them in Africa. "Global hunger figures have slightly improved compared to 2022 and 2023," Alvaro Lario, president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, told AFP. "But we have not come back to the levels of five years ago. This is not very good news." Four of the worst five countries for food security are in Africa: Nigeria, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia. The UN report highlights "persistent inequalities", with women and rural communities most affected, and the gap widening further over the previous year. "Despite adequate global food production, millions of people go hungry or are malnourished because safe and nutritious food is not available, not accessible or, more often, not affordable," it said. It found the response to price spikes between 2021 and 2023 was "more coordinated, informed and restrained" than the previous inflationary shock during the 2007-08 financial crisis. Some 2.3 billion people had to occasionally skip a meal in 2024 and are considered moderately or severely food insecure -- 335 million more than in 2019.
Zawya
a day ago
- Business
- Zawya
First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus S.Lukashevich receives copies of Credentials of the Ambassador of Ethiopia
On July 28, 2025 the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Sergey Lukashevich, received copies of Credentials from the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the Republic of Belarus with residence in Moscow,Genet Teshome Jirru. During the meeting, topical issues of developing friendly Belarusian-Ethiopian relations were discussed, including deepening political dialogue, increasing trade and economic cooperation, expanding educational and humanitarian ties. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus.
