Famine

Famine Threatens Parts of Sub-Saharan Africa - VOA
Voice of America reports: "Many parts of Asia, Africa and the Americas are scorching in heat caused by a cyclical phenomenon known as El Nino. The unusually warm waters that come up to the surface in the Pacific Ocean every three to six years cause extreme weather conditions. The resulting drought is especially hard on the poorest people of sub-Saharan Africa. [...] Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous country, is in the grip of its worst drought in decades. The government is appealing for aid to help 10 million affected people. The food shortage is also grave in Malawi, which has not yet recovered from last year's record flooding."

Comment: This short article does not address it, but the international aid community has now come around to the realization that international aid alone will never provide a long-term solution to the endemic famine that Africa experiences. Local efforts to combat corruption, promote good governance, micro-financing and development should go hand-in-hand with international relief efforts. Only the combination of the local and the international have any hope of breaking the cycle.