Press Release

Throughout the East African region, 28 million people are unable to meet even the most basic needs without aid. Today, Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House panel on Africa, held a hearing where the root cause of the famine—including and especially man-made conflict—was scrutinized and strategies on how to help mitigate the ongoing suffering were developed.

     “Famine in Africa and Yemen has been called the worst since World War II, even worse than the catastrophic 2011 famine in East Africa,” said Smith, who held his first hearing on East Africa more than 20 years ago when he took the helm on the Human Rights Subcommittee. “What makes this round of famine even more tragic is how preventable it is. For example, South Sudan contains the most arable land in what was once a united Sudan. Now, areas such as the Equatoria provinces, South Sudan’s potential breadbasket, are engulfed in conflict with citizens fleeing the country by the thousands daily.” Click Here to read Smith’s Full Statement.

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     Conflict has had an effect on all East African countries—all border at least one country in conflict and all host refugee populations. Uganda, who hosts the largest refugee population, currently has almost one million refugees, a majority of which come from neighboring South Sudan. Rather than use resources to mitigate regional droughts, the U.N. has indicated that the government of South Sudan has used a “scorched Earth” policy, designed to “render … communal life unviable and prohibiting any return to normalcy following the violence.”

     Due primarily to the actions of the South Sudanese government, more than 4.9 million people—greater than 40% of the population—currently face severe, life threatening hunger. This number is expected to rise to 5.5 million in a report by the U.N. due next month. Smith and Subcommittee Ranking Member Karen Bass recently returned from a CODEL to South Sudan and Uganda where they spoke with South Sudanese President Kiir. Smith called on Kiir to end the violence in his country.

     “There has been a cease-fire declared in South Sudan, but many observers believe that is due more to the rainy season preventing large movements of troops and heavy equipment than a genuine determination to end the conflict,” said Smith. “No amount of assistance will do the job unless the conflict in South Sudan is definitively ended.”

     The Honorable Tony P. Hall, Executive Director Emeritus of the Alliance to End Hunger said, “Over the past 30 years, we have cut worldwide food insecurity nearly in half. This, along with the 50% reduction in extreme poverty, is due in no small part to the exceptional leadership of the United States government and the generosity of our citizens.” Click Here to read Hall’s full statement.

     Julien Schopp, Director for Humanitarian Practice at InterAction said, “It is critical to underscore that when we speak of famine or the threat of famine, we are speaking of avoidable, man-made crises. Widespread food insecurity can also be the result of climatological events, such as drought, but in each context where we speak of famine conditions, the key factor is conflict.” Click Here to read Schopp’s full statement.

     Roger Thurow, Senior Fellow, Global Food and Agriculture, at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs said “Yes, droughts will occur. Conflicts will rage. Corruption will complicate relief efforts. But starvation and famine can be avoided. Timely humanitarian response with food aid, and water, and shelter, and medical assistance, is absolutely necessary to reduce the suffering and save lives.” Click Here to read Thurow’s full statement.

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