Map of life expectancy at birth from Global Education Project.

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Something you probably didn't know about Niger

I've been reading an awful lot about the African country of Niger lately. Something about uranium.

I'm a glutton for punishment. I read the NYWT and the Boston Globe every day; I listen to Every Teeny Weeny Little Thing Considered; most days, just to get an even better idea of how the average person is being brainwashed, I'll check out a network news show. It's understandable that they missed this story, because Anonymous Senior Administration Officials haven't told them about it on double double super secret background, but the BBC, which uses less scrupulous journalistic methods, managed to ferret it out.

Niger children starving to death

By Hilary Andersson
BBC News, Maradi, southern Niger

Children are dying of starvation in feeding centres in Niger, where 3.6m people face severe food shortages, aid agencies have warned.

The crisis in the south of the country has been caused by a drought and a plague of locusts which destroyed much of last year's harvest.

Aid agency World Vision warns that 10% of the children in the worst affected areas could die.

They say the international community has reacted too late to the crisis.

Niger is a vast desert country and one of the poorest on earth. Millions of people, a third of the population, face food shortages.


There's more. It's hard to read.

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