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U.S. Prepares 'Big-Time' Response To Famine - Impact of African crisis could be felt at White House
USA Today | May 1, 2002 | Bill Nichols

Posted on 05/02/2002 9:59:10 AM PDT by Stand Watch Listen

WASHINGTON -- U.S. officials are scrambling to cope with what could become the worst humanitarian crisis since President Bush took office: a potentially catastrophic famine in drought-stricken southern Africa that threatens 5 million people with starvation.

''What's unfolding in southern Africa is very big,'' Roger Winter, the assistant administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development's humanitarian assistance bureau, said in an interview Tuesday.

''Even though we don't have in hand all the information we need, we have in hand enough to know that we have to respond big-time,'' Winter said.

The looming disaster also could have political ramifications for Bush. For many foreign aid advocates, how aggressively his administration responds will provide the first practical test of whether Bush will keep his word to boost U.S. assistance for needy countries.

Bush's commitment this year to spend as much as $10 billion more on U.S. developmental aid by 2005 -- roughly double current spending -- was praised by aid advocates. But activists want to see how the administration reacts to a real crisis.

''People have been encouraged by a lot of the speeches and rhetoric that Bush and people around him have used to talk about poor and hungry people,'' said Tom Freedman, an adviser to President Clinton who now is a visiting fellow at Resources for the Future, a Washington think tank.

''Now we have a concrete case. And there's a lot of folks who have their fingers crossed that the action will live up to the rhetoric,'' Freedman said.

Judith Lewis, regional director of the United Nations World Food Program, said in a telephone interview from Kampala, Uganda, that she had just returned from a tour of the afflicted region, where relief efforts are centering on food shortages caused by a severe drought in six countries: Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The United Nations feeds 2.6 million of the 54 million people in those countries. Lewis said she believes the aid will have to at least double because of food shortages already being felt.

Lewis said the famine in the region is ''certainly the worst we've seen since 1992,'' when a drought left 18 million people without sufficient food. Lewis said she hopes the world will not lose sight of the crisis because of the war on terrorism. ''We just have to get people to turn back to Africa because there are a lot of competing crises,'' she said.

Experts say conditions are particularly bad in Malawi, with Zambia and Zimbabwe close behind. Zimbabwe declared a state of disaster Tuesday.

U.S. officials blame President Robert Mugabe as much as the drought for food shortages in Zimbabwe, where Mugabe recently won a questionable re-election that has plunged the country into chaos.

U.N. teams are still conducting a survey of the region, and Lewis said a plan of action won't be proposed until early June.

But U.S. officials said they already are responding, even in Zimbabwe, despite their unhappiness with Mugabe. Winter said the Pentagon, State Department, CIA and other agencies met April 11, and reports on the famine have gone to Secretary of State Colin Powell and Bush.

Winter said Washington is providing food assistance -- a shipment of 35,000 metric tons is on the way and 40,000 metric tons are ready for shipment. That's enough to feed approximately 375,000 people for a year.

''President Bush has said there will be no famines on his watch,'' Winter said. ''We take that very seriously.''

Aid groups point out that the famine is a natural disaster, which Bush's pledge did not address. He promised new foreign aid for long-term poverty reductions in countries that show progress and spend the money responsibly.

But aid advocates say more money is needed to avert short-term crises, such as famines, if some struggling countries are ever able to achieve long-term gains.

''The U.S emergency response frequently is generous, and we hope it will be here because there can't be long-term development for people who are in the middle of a famine,'' said Bill O'Keefe, government relations director for Catholic Relief Services.

Bush's actions on the famine also will be seen as a pivotal factor in how high Africa ranks on his foreign policy agenda.

Though last year's terrorist attacks and the resulting war in Afghanistan have diverted attention from U.S. policy on Africa, activists say they are generally pleased with Bush's approach. Both Powell and Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill have visited the continent.

''I give them reasonable marks . . . on a scale of one to 10, maybe a six or seven,'' said Melvin Foote, president of the advocacy group Constituency for Africa.''

Foote said Jendayi Frazier, the Africa specialist on Bush's National Security Council, recently told the group that Bush plans to visit Africa next year.



TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: africawatch
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1 posted on 05/02/2002 9:59:10 AM PDT by Stand Watch Listen
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To: Stand Watch Listen
To hell with them. They've made their own beds now let them lie in them.
2 posted on 05/02/2002 10:10:48 AM PDT by Bikers4Bush
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To: Bikers4Bush
"So as you do to the least of these, you do unto Me."
3 posted on 05/02/2002 10:12:19 AM PDT by Miss Marple
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To: Bikers4Bush
U.S. Prepares 'Big-Time' Response To Famine - Impact of African crisis could be felt at White House

I'm with you, give us back OUR MONEY

4 posted on 05/02/2002 10:13:57 AM PDT by WhiteGuy
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To: Stand Watch Listen
But U.S. officials said they already are responding, even in Zimbabwe, despite their unhappiness with Mugabe.

This makes me sick. It's our money -- it should go to our people, not some third world AIDS ridden, uncivilized, prejudiced country. Let 'em starve...maybe they will stop all of their BS and learn to get food on their own.

5 posted on 05/02/2002 10:15:06 AM PDT by Born in a Rage
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To: Miss Marple
I guess the ones that created this mess through murder and theft will have to go, though, right?
6 posted on 05/02/2002 10:15:38 AM PDT by monkeywrench
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To: Stand Watch Listen
Here we go again. It ain't drought that's starving them, it's their leaders who are trashing the economy. It's hardly a coincidence that the crisis is centred in Mugabe's fiefdom.
7 posted on 05/02/2002 10:16:45 AM PDT by Squawk 8888
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To: Stand Watch Listen
So what good would money do in a continent that has no food? Why not send food instead of money. Keep the cash in plain sight. African nations have no interest whatsoever in feeding their peasantry.Common People are a commodity they gladly piss away. The current Marxist goal is to walk that fine line that keeps aide flowing(cash)and to cull the herd, while appearing to be concerned internationally.

In Africa people are an expense, not an asset. One does not insure an expense.

8 posted on 05/02/2002 10:21:18 AM PDT by blackdog
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To: Stand Watch Listen
So begins the endless cycle to artifically sustaining an ignorant African population that is incapable of supporting itself. I'm so looking forward to the drain of badly needed funds from our country just to satisfy the "humanitarian" lust of the bleeding heart Liberals. Watch them repay our kindness by denouncing us, and voting against us in the U.N. general assembly! Another misuse of Tax dollars!!
9 posted on 05/02/2002 10:21:22 AM PDT by Destructor
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To: Born in a Rage
This makes me sick. It's our money -- it should go to our people,

It should be kept by those who earn it.

10 posted on 05/02/2002 10:21:55 AM PDT by WhiteGuy
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To: Stand Watch Listen
But U.S. officials said they already are responding, even in Zimbabwe, despite their unhappiness with Mugabe.

Maybe they can call it the "Free Sandwiches for Murderous Dictators" program.

I expected no less from Bush.

11 posted on 05/02/2002 10:24:30 AM PDT by freeeee
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To: Stand Watch Listen
It is OUTRAGEOUS that ANY elected official is considering sending ONE PENNY of OUR TAX DOLLARS to aid these MURDEROUS ROBBING RAPING BASTARDS! They have "ethnically cleansed" all of the "evil white farmers" from their land, and now they will harvest starvation, misery and sorrow. Let them starve, let them suffer, let them die. I won't shed a tear. Any elected official who proposes sending MY TAX DOLLARS to help these EVIL THUGS is a TRAITOR!
12 posted on 05/02/2002 10:24:31 AM PDT by Billy_bob_bob
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To: Destructor
just to satisfy the "humanitarian" lust of the bleeding heart Liberals.

you'd be talking about your president......

13 posted on 05/02/2002 10:24:48 AM PDT by WhiteGuy
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To: Stand Watch Listen
The obvious solution is the re-colonization of Africa. Depose the dictators!
14 posted on 05/02/2002 10:27:41 AM PDT by JMS
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To: WhiteGuy
It should be kept by those who earn it.

Right. Our people who earned it, but also to help the needy here in our own country...I'm not talking about fedgov handouts here - but there is a place for helping the poor get on their feet, educating (not indoctrinating) people, providing services for the incapacitated and elderly....etc.

15 posted on 05/02/2002 10:27:57 AM PDT by Born in a Rage
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To: *AfricaWatch;Clive
Check the Bump List folders for articles related to and descriptions of the above topic(s) or for other topics of interest.
16 posted on 05/02/2002 10:28:12 AM PDT by Free the USA
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To: Billy_bob_bob
You tell 'em Billy_bob_bob!!! How can I find out what has been sent over there already? Do you know if there is a way to look it up on Thomas or something...I'm curious to know.
17 posted on 05/02/2002 10:30:20 AM PDT by Born in a Rage
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To: Stand Watch Listen
WASHINGTON -- U.S. officials are scrambling to cope with what could become the worst humanitarian crisis since President Bush took office: a potentially catastrophic famine in drought-stricken southern Africa that threatens 5 million people with starvation. ''What's unfolding in southern Africa is very big,'' Roger Winter, the assistant administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development's humanitarian assistance bureau, said in an interview Tuesday.

''Even though we don't have in hand all the information we need, we have in hand enough to know that we have to respond big-time,'' Winter said.

Ofcourse the Bush Administration is foolishly going to pour Billions of OUR tax dollars into the bottomless pit of Africa. Until Africa abandons its anti-white pro-communist policies the suffering will be never ending.

18 posted on 05/02/2002 10:33:04 AM PDT by Kobyashi1942
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To: Kobyashi1942
If Bush is foolish enough to fall for this shakedown (Oh, boo hoo hoo, we murdered all of our farmers and now we're starving! Give us money or you're RACISTS!) he is going to leave himself wide open to be politically blindsided come the '04 primaries. He should take a moment to talk to his dad about what happens when you RADICALLY PI$$ OFF the right wing of your party. Pat is not the only conservative candidate out there, neither is George W. Bush.
19 posted on 05/02/2002 10:37:16 AM PDT by Billy_bob_bob
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To: Bikers4Bush
and african americans want US to pay THEM reparations for taking them away from that sewer!
20 posted on 05/02/2002 10:43:05 AM PDT by SCARED
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