Taliban have been struggling to bring stability in the country. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15, locals have been complaining about increasing poverty in the country.<o:p></o:p>

The increasing poverty has in turn led to locals, especially minority communities and orphan children starving. In such a recent case, eight children have been reported to have died due to starvation.<o:p></o:p>

As per local reports, eight children lost their lives to starvation in western Kabul. The children lived in the town of Etefaq, in the 13th district of Kabul, in the Barchi plain.

<o:p>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/verbal-clashes-take-place-between-taliban-factions-sources-tell-wion-423548">Verbal clashes take place between Taliban factions, sources tell WION</a></o:p>

The deceased children were orphans and had been struggling to find employment and earn their daily bread since Taliban took control of the country in August.<o:p></o:p>

Mohammad Ali Bamiani, a religious scholar and orator at one of the mosques in western Kabul buried these children. He reported that these eight children, four boys and four girls, had been given some bread to eat earlier by neighbours. However, needless to say, a little portion of bread was not enough to keep eight children in good health and alive.<o:p></o:p>

"When the landlord wanted to invite the children for morning tea, he saw that they were all dead," he said, quoting the homeowner. &nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-defence-ministers-veiled-audio-message-over-regimes-army-looks-to-warn-neighbours-423507">Taliban minister’s ‘veiled’ message over army looks to warn neighbours</a><o:p></o:p>

The father of these children had recently passed away after suffering from paralysis and a tumour in his head. Their mother, who was also a heart patient, was unable to bear the loss of her husband and died a few days after her partner’s death. The family had been unable to treat the father and mother due to poverty. <o:p></o:p>

Now, their children are facing the brunt of the family poverty. The oldest child is 11-year-old and the youngest is less than three-years-old. They had been unable to get employment and earn their daily bread, which led to intermittent starvation, which then became the cause of their death.<o:p></o:p>

Talking about the same, Mohammad Mohaqiq, the leader of the People's Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan, has urged the world to wake up to the Afghan crisis and help the locals. He also alleged that this incident had not made headlines as the victims belonged to minority community.<o:p></o:p>

Taliban have been struggling to bring stability in the country. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15, locals have been complaining about increasing poverty in the country.

Taliban have been struggling to bring stability in the country. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15, locals have been complaining about increasing poverty in the country. The increasing poverty has in turn led to locals, especially minority communities and orphan children starving. In such a recent case, eight children have been reported to have died due to starvation. As per local reports, eight children lost their lives to starvation in western Kabul. The children lived in the town of Etefaq, in the 13th district of Kabul, in the Barchi plain. Also read | Verbal clashes take place between Taliban factions, sources tell WION The deceased children were orphans and had been struggling to find employment and earn their daily bread since Taliban took control of the country in August. Mohammad Ali Bamiani, a religious scholar and orator at one of the mosques in western Kabul buried these children. He reported that these eight children, four boys and four girls, had been given some bread to eat earlier by neighbours. However, needless to say, a little portion of bread was not enough to keep eight children in good health and alive. "When the landlord wanted to invite the children for morning tea, he saw that they were all dead," he said, quoting the homeowner. Also read | Taliban minister’s ‘veiled’ message over army looks to warn neighbours The father of these children had recently passed away after suffering from paralysis and a tumour in his head. Their mother, who was also a heart patient, was unable to bear the loss of her husband and died a few days after her partner’s death. The family had been unable to treat the father and mother due to poverty. Now, their children are facing the brunt of the family poverty. The oldest child is 11-year-old and the youngest is less than three-years-old. They had been unable to get employment and earn their daily bread, which led to intermittent starvation, which then became the cause of their death. Talking about the same, Mohammad Mohaqiq, the leader of the People's Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan, has urged the world to wake up to the Afghan crisis and help the locals. He also alleged that this incident had not made headlines as the victims belonged to minority community.

Eight children die of starvation in Kabul as Taliban fails to stabilise country

Acute food insecurity has soared 40% this year as recent food price hikes have exacerbated existing pressures from conflict, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said.

Defined as any lack of food that threatens lives, livelihoods or both, acute food insecurity is impacting, or is at high risk of impacting, a record 270 million people this year, the UN agency said.

"High food prices are hunger's new best friend," said WFP Chief Economist Arif Husain.

"We already have conflict, climate and COVID-19 working together. Now food prices have joined the deadly trio," he added.

The WFP said average wheat flour prices in Lebanon have risen 219% year-on-year amid accelerating economic turmoil, while cooking oil prices have soared 440% versus a year ago in war-devastated Syria.

On internationally traded markets, world food prices were up 33.9% year-on-year in June, according to the U.N food agency`s price index, which measures a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar.

However, they did fall in June versus May, the first such decrease in 12 months.

After declining for several decades, world hunger has been on the rise since 2016.

The WFP, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year, says around 690 million people or 9 percent of the world`s population go to bed hungry each night.

It is targeting 139 million people for assistance this year, the biggest operation in its history.

Acute food insecurity has soared 40% this year as recent food price hikes have exacerbated existing pressures from conflict, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said.

Acute food insecurity has soared 40% this year as recent food price hikes have exacerbated existing pressures from conflict, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said. Defined as any lack of food that threatens lives, livelihoods or both, acute food insecurity is impacting, or is at high risk of impacting, a record 270 million people this year, the UN agency said. "High food prices are hunger's new best friend," said WFP Chief Economist Arif Husain. "We already have conflict, climate and COVID-19 working together. Now food prices have joined the deadly trio," he added. The WFP said average wheat flour prices in Lebanon have risen 219% year-on-year amid accelerating economic turmoil, while cooking oil prices have soared 440% versus a year ago in war-devastated Syria. On internationally traded markets, world food prices were up 33.9% year-on-year in June, according to the U.N food agency`s price index, which measures a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar. However, they did fall in June versus May, the first such decrease in 12 months. After declining for several decades, world hunger has been on the rise since 2016. The WFP, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year, says around 690 million people or 9 percent of the world`s population go to bed hungry each night. It is targeting 139 million people for assistance this year, the biggest operation in its history.

Surging food prices fuel 40 per cent jump in global hunger: UN

The coronavirus pandemic has adversely affected everyone around the world, but it has majorly hit the poorer sections of society all around the world.

So much so, the United Nations (UN) has warned that over 30 million people are one step away from dying due to acute hunger in more than 20 countries.

According to a report published by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP), which focuses on hunger hotspots, several families in areas of Yemen and South Sudan have already been targetted by acute hunger and starvation.

Also read |&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/world/over-2-million-yemeni-children-may-starve-in-2021-un-says-363204" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/over-2-million-yemeni-children-may-starve-in-2021-un-says-363204&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjH1cbI8cjvAhUzzjgGHQi9AuIQFjAJegQIAhAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2VD0ALi6P6oek841mAPWZo" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/world/over-2-million-yemeni-children-may-starve-in-2021-un-says-363204" target="_blank">Over 2 million Yemeni children may starve in 2021, UN says</a>

As of now, nearly 34 million people are already struggling with high levels of acute hunger known as IPC 4 (Integrated food security Phase Classification), which indicates that people in these groups are just "one step away from starvation".

"The magnitude of suffering is alarming," FAO director-general Qu Dongyu said. "It is incumbent upon all of us to act now and to act fast to save lives, safeguard livelihoods and prevent the worst situation."

Such a situation of acute hunger has been driven by international conflicts, climate changes, and the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed millions of lives around the world and has forced several international governments and organisations to pull back funding for third-world countries.

Also read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-has-increased-social-inequality-in-uk-survey-369696">&nbsp;Coronavirus has increased social inequality in UK: Survey</a>

"In many regions, the planting season has just started or is about to start," Qu said. "We must run against the clock and not let this opportunity to protect, stabilise and even possibly increase local food production slip away."

While the majority of the identified hotspots are in Africa, areas such as Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, Haiti, and the Caribbean have also been warned of the unfortunate situation.

"We are seeing a catastrophe unfold before our very eyes," WFP executive director David Beasley said. "Famine – driven by conflict, and fuelled by climate shocks and the Covid-19 pandemic – is knocking on the door for millions of families."

Beasley also added that increase in donations, access to vulnerable communities and an immediate decrease/halt in the violent conflicts are the three ways in which this disaster can be averted.

The coronavirus pandemic has adversely affected everyone around the world, but it has majorly hit the poorer sections of society all around the world. So much so, the United Nations (UN) has warned that over 30 million people are one step away from dying due to acute hunger in more than 20 countries.

The coronavirus pandemic has adversely affected everyone around the world, but it has majorly hit the poorer sections of society all around the world. So much so, the United Nations (UN) has warned that over 30 million people are one step away from dying due to acute hunger in more than 20 countries. According to a report published by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP), which focuses on hunger hotspots, several families in areas of Yemen and South Sudan have already been targetted by acute hunger and starvation. Also read | Over 2 million Yemeni children may starve in 2021, UN says As of now, nearly 34 million people are already struggling with high levels of acute hunger known as IPC 4 (Integrated food security Phase Classification), which indicates that people in these groups are just "one step away from starvation". "The magnitude of suffering is alarming," FAO director-general Qu Dongyu said. "It is incumbent upon all of us to act now and to act fast to save lives, safeguard livelihoods and prevent the worst situation." Such a situation of acute hunger has been driven by international conflicts, climate changes, and the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed millions of lives around the world and has forced several international governments and organisations to pull back funding for third-world countries. Also read | Coronavirus has increased social inequality in UK: Survey "In many regions, the planting season has just started or is about to start," Qu said. "We must run against the clock and not let this opportunity to protect, stabilise and even possibly increase local food production slip away." While the majority of the identified hotspots are in Africa, areas such as Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, Haiti, and the Caribbean have also been warned of the unfortunate situation. "We are seeing a catastrophe unfold before our very eyes," WFP executive director David Beasley said. "Famine – driven by conflict, and fuelled by climate shocks and the Covid-19 pandemic – is knocking on the door for millions of families." Beasley also added that increase in donations, access to vulnerable communities and an immediate decrease/halt in the violent conflicts are the three ways in which this disaster can be averted.

'One step away from starvation': UN warns over 30 million could die of hunger

The year 2020 — dubbed as the 'pandemic year' — has been one of the worst years due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Many have been waiting for this year to end so that they get a fresh start in the year 2021. However, experts believe 2021 will, instead, be&nbsp;“catastrophic”.

David Beasley, the Chief of the World Food Programme has raised concerns about the upcoming year and has warned people to brace themselves for a&nbsp;“catastrophic” humanitarian crises.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/around-29-million-women-and-girls-victims-of-modern-slavery-un-report-334530">Around 29 million women and girls victims of modern slavery: UN report</a>

As per the experts, 2021 can be one of the worst years human beings have seen in almost a century. The year can bring in extreme starvation and famine, especially in the third-world countries.

Beasley sounded the alarm in the&nbsp;United Nations General Assembly during a discussion about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and its effects on the world. As per the WFP, nearly 270 million people around the globe are "marching toward starvation" and the experts are predicting a famine.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/one-stillbirth-every-16-seconds-and-this-could-get-worse-due-to-covid-19-pandemic-333385">One stillbirth every 16 seconds and this could get worse due to COVID-19 pandemic</a>

"2021 is literally going to be catastrophic, based on what we're seeing at this stage in the game," Beasley said. He also pointed out lack of funds which has happened "because we've spent $19 trillion, that money may not, and will not most likely be available for 2021."

"We’re now looking literally at 2021 being the worst humanitarian crisis year since the beginning of the United Nations, and we’re going to have to step up," he continued.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/un-ngos-shaken-by-dr-congo-sex-abuse-claims-332143">UN, NGOs shaken by DR Congo sex abuse claims</a>

Beasley said it is not simply the pandemic which has led to this catastrophic situation. While the pandemic and the government-regulated lockdowns have brought a steep decline in human progress, the "man-made conflict", too, has played a major role in this situation, especially in countries such as&nbsp;Syria, Yemen, and South Sudan.

"We’ve got to end some of these wars. We’ve got to bring these wars to an end, so we can achieve the sustainable development goals that we so desire," he said. Explaining the situation with the metaphor of Titanic, he continued, "If we’re strategic and put the funds to these particular icebergs before us, I believe that we can get through 2021, while we work with the vaccines and rebuild the economies."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/the-west-asia-post-child-malnutrition-soars-in-yemen-347944">WATCH|</a>

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Earlier, too, WFP had warned governments about a possible spike of 80 per cent in people facing malnutrition by the end of the year. The organisation had warned against a "famine of biblical proportions" and had predicted death of nearly 1.2 million under the age of five within six months.

The year 2020 — dubbed as the 'pandemic year' — has been one of the worst years due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Many have been waiting for this year to end so that they get a fresh start in the year 2021.

The year 2020 — dubbed as the 'pandemic year' — has been one of the worst years due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Many have been waiting for this year to end so that they get a fresh start in the year 2021. However, experts believe 2021 will, instead, be “catastrophic”. David Beasley, the Chief of the World Food Programme has raised concerns about the upcoming year and has warned people to brace themselves for a “catastrophic” humanitarian crises. Also read| Around 29 million women and girls victims of modern slavery: UN report As per the experts, 2021 can be one of the worst years human beings have seen in almost a century. The year can bring in extreme starvation and famine, especially in the third-world countries. Beasley sounded the alarm in the United Nations General Assembly during a discussion about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and its effects on the world. As per the WFP, nearly 270 million people around the globe are "marching toward starvation" and the experts are predicting a famine. Also read| One stillbirth every 16 seconds and this could get worse due to COVID-19 pandemic "2021 is literally going to be catastrophic, based on what we're seeing at this stage in the game," Beasley said. He also pointed out lack of funds which has happened "because we've spent $19 trillion, that money may not, and will not most likely be available for 2021." "We’re now looking literally at 2021 being the worst humanitarian crisis year since the beginning of the United Nations, and we’re going to have to step up," he continued. Also read| UN, NGOs shaken by DR Congo sex abuse claims Beasley said it is not simply the pandemic which has led to this catastrophic situation. While the pandemic and the government-regulated lockdowns have brought a steep decline in human progress, the "man-made conflict", too, has played a major role in this situation, especially in countries such as Syria, Yemen, and South Sudan. "We’ve got to end some of these wars. We’ve got to bring these wars to an end, so we can achieve the sustainable development goals that we so desire," he said. Explaining the situation with the metaphor of Titanic, he continued, "If we’re strategic and put the funds to these particular icebergs before us, I believe that we can get through 2021, while we work with the vaccines and rebuild the economies." WATCH| × Earlier, too, WFP had warned governments about a possible spike of 80 per cent in people facing malnutrition by the end of the year. The organisation had warned against a "famine of biblical proportions" and had predicted death of nearly 1.2 million under the age of five within six months.

World Food Programme warns 2021 will bring 'catastrophic' humanitarian crisis

At a time when several parts of the world is struggling with starvation, global food <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fearing-virus-hong-kong-residents-stock-up-on-food-essentials-278288">waste</a> is seen doubling, according to a study.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/over-9-million-facing-food-shortages-in-african-sahel-sources-267236">Also Read: Over 9 million facing food shortages in African Sahel</a>

The research published in the journal Plos One states that the extent of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lack-of-proper-food-in-wuhan-says-indian-student-277127">food</a> wasted by consumers has been grossly underestimated.

The United Nations estimated in its annual global food waste at 1.3 billion tons per day per person in 2005. Now, it turns out that a third of all food available for human consumption is wasted which is twice as much of wastage as previously estimated.

The study finds that growth in waste occurs as the income increases and hence it's the people in wealthier nations who are wasting more food than anyone else.

According to the study, global food waste is up from 214 calories per day per person to 527 calories. The estimates were made by the United Nations’ food and agriculture organization (FOA) in 2015.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/despite-having-enough-food-humanity-risks-hunger-crises-report-256776">Also Read: 'Despite having enough food, humanity risks hunger crises'</a>

The new study states that food waste starts to emerge when consumers reach a threshold of approximately 6.70 dollars per day a person.

Climate experts have identified food waste as one of the top sustainability problems worldwide and the United Nations environment program has an ambitious goal of eliminating half of all food waste by 2030.

On the flip side, global hunger levels have risen in the last three&nbsp;years from 785 million in 2015 to 822 million in 2018.

At a time when several parts of the world is struggling with starvation, global food waste is seen doubling, according to a study. Also Read: Over 9 million facing food shortages in African Sahel The research published in the journal Plos One states that the extent of food wasted by consumers has been grossly underestimated.

At a time when several parts of the world is struggling with starvation, global food waste is seen doubling, according to a study. Also Read: Over 9 million facing food shortages in African Sahel The research published in the journal Plos One states that the extent of food wasted by consumers has been grossly underestimated. The United Nations estimated in its annual global food waste at 1.3 billion tons per day per person in 2005. Now, it turns out that a third of all food available for human consumption is wasted which is twice as much of wastage as previously estimated. The study finds that growth in waste occurs as the income increases and hence it's the people in wealthier nations who are wasting more food than anyone else. According to the study, global food waste is up from 214 calories per day per person to 527 calories. The estimates were made by the United Nations’ food and agriculture organization (FOA) in 2015. Also Read: 'Despite having enough food, humanity risks hunger crises' The new study states that food waste starts to emerge when consumers reach a threshold of approximately 6.70 dollars per day a person. Climate experts have identified food waste as one of the top sustainability problems worldwide and the United Nations environment program has an ambitious goal of eliminating half of all food waste by 2030. On the flip side, global hunger levels have risen in the last three years from 785 million in 2015 to 822 million in 2018.

People in wealthier nations wasting more food: Study

A Franco-Irish teen who disappeared from a Malaysian resort likely starved and died of internal bleeding after about a week in the jungle, with no immediate sign of foul play, police said Thursday.

There was no indication that 15-year-old Nora Quoirin, who had learning difficulties, was abducted or sexually assaulted, they said, announcing the results of an autopsy.&nbsp;

But the lawyer of her family, who believe she may have been abducted, said it was too early to rule out a criminal element in the case.

Her unclothed body was discovered Tuesday in a ravine in the dense jungle following a 10-day hunt involving hundreds of people, helicopters and sniffer dogs.&nbsp;

She went missing from the Dusun Resort, not far from Kuala Lumpur, on August 4, a day after checking in for a holiday with her London-based family.

Speaking after the post-mortem examination, Negeri Sembilan state police chief Mohamad Mat Yusop told reporters the teen suffered "bleeding in her intestines due to not eating" as well as "extreme stress".

The schoolgirl is believed to have died two to three days before her body was found, he said.&nbsp;

"For the time being, there is no suspicion of foul play," he said.&nbsp;

There were "some scratches on her body" after days in the rainforest, but nothing suspicious, he said. "The parents can claim her body."

Police had classified her disappearance as a missing persons case.

But the family's French lawyer, Charles Morel, told AFP that "at this stage for the family, it is premature to rule out a criminal element.

"We need to wait to find out all the results from the autopsy to know more."

'Unbearable' loss

Her body was airlifted by helicopter out of the ravine -- about 2.5 kilometres (1.5 miles) from the resort -- and transported to hospital in Seremban town where her relatives identified it.

Medics conducted a long autopsy Wednesday, starting in the morning and only finishing late at night, as a media pack waited outside the hospital for news.&nbsp;

In a statement released Wednesday by The Lucie Blackman Trust, a charity that supports relatives of British people missing overseas, her relatives said she was the "heart" of the family.

"She is the truest, most precious girl and we love her infinitely. The cruelty of her being taken away is unbearable. Our hearts are broken.

"We will always love our Nora."

While insisting it was a missing persons case, police vowed to investigate every angle. They questioned witnesses and investigated witness accounts of a truck heard early on the morning the girl disappeared.

A group of volunteers who were part of the search and rescue team found the body after being tipped off by a member of the public.

It was discovered in the official search zone, in an area that the team had previously covered.

On Monday, the family had offered a 50,000 ringgit ($11,900) reward, donated by a Belfast business, for information that could lead to her return.

The five-hectare (12-acre) resort where the teenager disappeared is next to a patch of thick jungle and in the foothills of a mountain range.

Her family had said it was extremely unlikely the reserved youngster would have wandered off on her own.

She had a condition known as holoprosencephaly, where the brain fails to develop normally. She had limited verbal communication and could only write a few words.

She attended a school for young people with learning and communication difficulties.

A Franco-Irish teen who disappeared from a Malaysian resort likely starved and died of internal bleeding after about a week in the jungle, with no immediate sign of foul play, police said Thursday.

A Franco-Irish teen who disappeared from a Malaysian resort likely starved and died of internal bleeding after about a week in the jungle, with no immediate sign of foul play, police said Thursday. There was no indication that 15-year-old Nora Quoirin, who had learning difficulties, was abducted or sexually assaulted, they said, announcing the results of an autopsy. But the lawyer of her family, who believe she may have been abducted, said it was too early to rule out a criminal element in the case. Her unclothed body was discovered Tuesday in a ravine in the dense jungle following a 10-day hunt involving hundreds of people, helicopters and sniffer dogs. She went missing from the Dusun Resort, not far from Kuala Lumpur, on August 4, a day after checking in for a holiday with her London-based family. Speaking after the post-mortem examination, Negeri Sembilan state police chief Mohamad Mat Yusop told reporters the teen suffered "bleeding in her intestines due to not eating" as well as "extreme stress". The schoolgirl is believed to have died two to three days before her body was found, he said. "For the time being, there is no suspicion of foul play," he said. There were "some scratches on her body" after days in the rainforest, but nothing suspicious, he said. "The parents can claim her body." Police had classified her disappearance as a missing persons case. But the family's French lawyer, Charles Morel, told AFP that "at this stage for the family, it is premature to rule out a criminal element. "We need to wait to find out all the results from the autopsy to know more." 'Unbearable' loss Her body was airlifted by helicopter out of the ravine -- about 2.5 kilometres (1.5 miles) from the resort -- and transported to hospital in Seremban town where her relatives identified it. Medics conducted a long autopsy Wednesday, starting in the morning and only finishing late at night, as a media pack waited outside the hospital for news. In a statement released Wednesday by The Lucie Blackman Trust, a charity that supports relatives of British people missing overseas, her relatives said she was the "heart" of the family. "She is the truest, most precious girl and we love her infinitely. The cruelty of her being taken away is unbearable. Our hearts are broken. "We will always love our Nora." While insisting it was a missing persons case, police vowed to investigate every angle. They questioned witnesses and investigated witness accounts of a truck heard early on the morning the girl disappeared. A group of volunteers who were part of the search and rescue team found the body after being tipped off by a member of the public. It was discovered in the official search zone, in an area that the team had previously covered. On Monday, the family had offered a 50,000 ringgit ($11,900) reward, donated by a Belfast business, for information that could lead to her return. The five-hectare (12-acre) resort where the teenager disappeared is next to a patch of thick jungle and in the foothills of a mountain range. Her family had said it was extremely unlikely the reserved youngster would have wandered off on her own. She had a condition known as holoprosencephaly, where the brain fails to develop normally. She had limited verbal communication and could only write a few words. She attended a school for young people with learning and communication difficulties.

Starvation likely killed Franco-Irish teen in Malaysia, no sign foul play

Yemeni pro-government forces advanced closer to rebel-held Hodeida overnight, a military source said on Wednesday, raising fears over humanitarian aid deliveries through the lifeline port city.

Concern was also growing for civilians in Hodeida, as the fighting drew near and after reports that snipers had positioned themselves on a hospital rooftop.

Plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the horizon on Tuesday as heavily armed pro-government forces moved towards the Red Sea port on foot and on the back of pickup trucks.

A pro-government military source said on Wednesday that loyalists backed by a Saudi-led coalition made "limited advances" overnight towards Hodeida and its port, through which more than 70 per cent of the impoverished country's imports pass.

The coalition, an alliance led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, had sent fighter jets and Apache attack helicopters to cover Yemeni troops fighting rebels on the ground, the source told AFP.

A barrage of 100 air strikes were fired at the weekend around Hodeida, the Save the Children aid group said, citing its staff in the city of 600,000 residents.

In the past 24 hours fighting claimed the lives of 27 rebels and 12 pro-government fighters on the outskirts of Hodeida city, a medical source told AFP on Wednesday.

Nearly 200 combatants have been killed in the past week, according to military sources.

Hospitals in crossfire

The United Nations children's fund, UNICEF, on Wednesday voiced concern an escalation in the violence would jeopardise humanitarian efforts crucial for the survival of millions across the war-torn country.

"The concern really is that if Hodeida port doesn't function anymore, we, as UNICEF, are then not able to bring in humanitarian supplies through that port," Juliette Touma, spokeswoman for the UN agency, told AFP.

Touma said that in past years UNICEF had been able to transport to Hodeida humanitarian supplies using "little boats".

This week marks one year since the government coalition, which controls Yemen's airspace and maritime borders, imposed a blockade on rebel-held Hodeida in retaliation for Huthi missile attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Rights groups now fear for civilians, as fighting nears two hospitals in the area.

A medical source told AFP on Wednesday that the Huthis had forced medical staff out of the May 22 Hospital -- one of Hodeida's main medical facilities -- and stationed snipers on top of the building.

UNICEF warned on Tuesday the fighting was dangerously close to Al-Thawra hospital in southern Hodeida, and was endangering the lives of 59 children.

The clashes come as the United Nations pushes to restart negotiations between the warring parties, after planned talks in Geneva in September failed.

Civilian infrastructure

The International Committee of the Red Cross on Wednesday appealed for warring parties to "spare civilians and civilian infrastructure" including ambulances, hospitals, electricity and water plants.

"Families are staying in schools -- each classroom housing two or three families -- which makes it an average of 20 people in the classroom with nothing whatsoever," said Mirella Hodeib, ICRC spokesman in Sanaa.

"ICRC urges all parties to respect international humanitarian law... and to allow for the safe passage of civilians who want to flee the active conflict zones."

Hodeida, one of the last Huthi strongholds on Yemen's western coast, was seized by the rebels along with the capital Sanaa in 2014.

Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in the government's fight against the Huthis months later, driving the rebels from a string of ports but failing to retake the capital and Hodeida.

Hodeida is Yemen's most valuable port, crucial for aid delivery and food imports to a country where famine looms over 14 million people and a child dies every 10 minutes from easily preventable diseases, according to the UN.

Saudi Arabia and its allies accuse Iran of using Hodeida port to smuggle missiles to the Huthis, a charge Tehran denies.

The World Health Organization estimates nearly 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen's war since 2015, although rights groups say the toll could be five times higher.

Yemeni pro-government forces advanced closer to rebel-held Hodeida overnight, a military source said on Wednesday, raising fears over humanitarian aid deliveries through the lifeline port city.

Yemeni pro-government forces advanced closer to rebel-held Hodeida overnight, a military source said on Wednesday, raising fears over humanitarian aid deliveries through the lifeline port city. Concern was also growing for civilians in Hodeida, as the fighting drew near and after reports that snipers had positioned themselves on a hospital rooftop. Plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the horizon on Tuesday as heavily armed pro-government forces moved towards the Red Sea port on foot and on the back of pickup trucks. A pro-government military source said on Wednesday that loyalists backed by a Saudi-led coalition made "limited advances" overnight towards Hodeida and its port, through which more than 70 per cent of the impoverished country's imports pass. The coalition, an alliance led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, had sent fighter jets and Apache attack helicopters to cover Yemeni troops fighting rebels on the ground, the source told AFP. A barrage of 100 air strikes were fired at the weekend around Hodeida, the Save the Children aid group said, citing its staff in the city of 600,000 residents. In the past 24 hours fighting claimed the lives of 27 rebels and 12 pro-government fighters on the outskirts of Hodeida city, a medical source told AFP on Wednesday. Nearly 200 combatants have been killed in the past week, according to military sources. Hospitals in crossfire The United Nations children's fund, UNICEF, on Wednesday voiced concern an escalation in the violence would jeopardise humanitarian efforts crucial for the survival of millions across the war-torn country. "The concern really is that if Hodeida port doesn't function anymore, we, as UNICEF, are then not able to bring in humanitarian supplies through that port," Juliette Touma, spokeswoman for the UN agency, told AFP. Touma said that in past years UNICEF had been able to transport to Hodeida humanitarian supplies using "little boats". This week marks one year since the government coalition, which controls Yemen's airspace and maritime borders, imposed a blockade on rebel-held Hodeida in retaliation for Huthi missile attacks on Saudi Arabia. Rights groups now fear for civilians, as fighting nears two hospitals in the area. A medical source told AFP on Wednesday that the Huthis had forced medical staff out of the May 22 Hospital -- one of Hodeida's main medical facilities -- and stationed snipers on top of the building. UNICEF warned on Tuesday the fighting was dangerously close to Al-Thawra hospital in southern Hodeida, and was endangering the lives of 59 children. The clashes come as the United Nations pushes to restart negotiations between the warring parties, after planned talks in Geneva in September failed. Civilian infrastructure The International Committee of the Red Cross on Wednesday appealed for warring parties to "spare civilians and civilian infrastructure" including ambulances, hospitals, electricity and water plants. "Families are staying in schools -- each classroom housing two or three families -- which makes it an average of 20 people in the classroom with nothing whatsoever," said Mirella Hodeib, ICRC spokesman in Sanaa. "ICRC urges all parties to respect international humanitarian law... and to allow for the safe passage of civilians who want to flee the active conflict zones." Hodeida, one of the last Huthi strongholds on Yemen's western coast, was seized by the rebels along with the capital Sanaa in 2014. Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in the government's fight against the Huthis months later, driving the rebels from a string of ports but failing to retake the capital and Hodeida. Hodeida is Yemen's most valuable port, crucial for aid delivery and food imports to a country where famine looms over 14 million people and a child dies every 10 minutes from easily preventable diseases, according to the UN. Saudi Arabia and its allies accuse Iran of using Hodeida port to smuggle missiles to the Huthis, a charge Tehran denies. The World Health Organization estimates nearly 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen's war since 2015, although rights groups say the toll could be five times higher.

Fears for civilians as Yemen forces edge closer to lifeline port

Ahmed Hassan is only a few months old, but his emaciated frame twitches as he cries in pain when Yemeni doctors gently place him on a scale. He is starving.

In the next room, nurses make baby formula by the pitcher, filling syringes to ration a portion for each malnourished child who comes to Sabaeen Hospital in the rebel-held capital for emergency treatment.

Too weak to swallow, some babies are fed through feeding tubes that go through the nose directly into the stomach.

After being fed, some of them appear to feel a bit better, crawling over to play with other emaciated children in the clinic, tubes still taped to their faces.

"Life's become really very difficult... but we do our best, given the circumstances," said Umm Tarek, as her nine-month-old baby underwent treated for malnutrition.

"We're not from here, so we rent an old, old house for 10,000 riyals ($40) in Hiziaz," south of Sanaa, she told AFP.

"Then my baby got sick because we used to give him formula, but now we can't afford both the house and powdered milk anymore."

Four years of war between Yemen's Saudi-backed government and Huthi rebels have pushed the country to the brink of mass starvation.

The United Nations last week warned 14 million Yemenis are at serious risk of famine, as the war shows no sign of waning.

Mark Lowcock, the UN's humanitarian chief, said Monday the danger of famine in Yemen is "much bigger than anything any professional in this field has seen during their working lives".

'At death's door'

At Sabaeen hospital, paediatrician Sharaf Nashwan said some families can't afford transport costs to reach the facility.

"So their children are left for days or weeks suffering malnutrition, until someone helps them out with a little money to get their kids to hospital. But by then we're looking at a really severe case," he said.

Nearly 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen and more than 56,000 injured since 2015, according to the World Health Organization.

The UN this month called for a humanitarian ceasefire around facilities involved in food aid distribution, but neither the Iran-backed rebels nor Saudi Arabia and its allies have heeded the call.

The two sides are fighting for control of the country, which shares a land border with Saudi Arabia and is home to a string of valuable ports.

The rebels now control the capital Sanaa along with much of Yemen's northern highlands and western Hodeida, Yemen's largest port through which nearly three-quarters of imports flow.

A blockade has been imposed on the port and Sanaa airport by the Saudi-led coalition, which controls Yemen's airspace.

Yemenis struggling to survive such conditions are also confronted with a collapsed economy, leaving government clerks and teachers without pay for months.

The International Monetary Fund expects Yemen's economy will contract by 2.6 percent in 2018, while inflation is forecast to hit 42 percent.

In the face of such dire circumstances, paediatrician Nashwan said medical staff do their utmost to save the children in their care.

"The cases that we get here at the hospital tend to be severe. At death's door, sometimes. We do our jobs, do everything we can to push them back to good health," he said.

"Some get well. Others die."

Ahmed Hassan is only a few months old, but his emaciated frame twitches as he cries in pain when Yemeni doctors gently place him on a scale. He is starving. In the next room, nurses make baby formula by the pitcher, filling syringes to ration a portion for each malnourished child who comes to Sabaeen Hospital in the rebel-held capital for emergency treatment.

Ahmed Hassan is only a few months old, but his emaciated frame twitches as he cries in pain when Yemeni doctors gently place him on a scale. He is starving. In the next room, nurses make baby formula by the pitcher, filling syringes to ration a portion for each malnourished child who comes to Sabaeen Hospital in the rebel-held capital for emergency treatment. Too weak to swallow, some babies are fed through feeding tubes that go through the nose directly into the stomach. After being fed, some of them appear to feel a bit better, crawling over to play with other emaciated children in the clinic, tubes still taped to their faces. "Life's become really very difficult... but we do our best, given the circumstances," said Umm Tarek, as her nine-month-old baby underwent treated for malnutrition. "We're not from here, so we rent an old, old house for 10,000 riyals ($40) in Hiziaz," south of Sanaa, she told AFP. "Then my baby got sick because we used to give him formula, but now we can't afford both the house and powdered milk anymore." Four years of war between Yemen's Saudi-backed government and Huthi rebels have pushed the country to the brink of mass starvation. The United Nations last week warned 14 million Yemenis are at serious risk of famine, as the war shows no sign of waning. Mark Lowcock, the UN's humanitarian chief, said Monday the danger of famine in Yemen is "much bigger than anything any professional in this field has seen during their working lives". 'At death's door' At Sabaeen hospital, paediatrician Sharaf Nashwan said some families can't afford transport costs to reach the facility. "So their children are left for days or weeks suffering malnutrition, until someone helps them out with a little money to get their kids to hospital. But by then we're looking at a really severe case," he said. Nearly 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen and more than 56,000 injured since 2015, according to the World Health Organization. The UN this month called for a humanitarian ceasefire around facilities involved in food aid distribution, but neither the Iran-backed rebels nor Saudi Arabia and its allies have heeded the call. The two sides are fighting for control of the country, which shares a land border with Saudi Arabia and is home to a string of valuable ports. The rebels now control the capital Sanaa along with much of Yemen's northern highlands and western Hodeida, Yemen's largest port through which nearly three-quarters of imports flow. A blockade has been imposed on the port and Sanaa airport by the Saudi-led coalition, which controls Yemen's airspace. Yemenis struggling to survive such conditions are also confronted with a collapsed economy, leaving government clerks and teachers without pay for months. The International Monetary Fund expects Yemen's economy will contract by 2.6 percent in 2018, while inflation is forecast to hit 42 percent. In the face of such dire circumstances, paediatrician Nashwan said medical staff do their utmost to save the children in their care. "The cases that we get here at the hospital tend to be severe. At death's door, sometimes. We do our jobs, do everything we can to push them back to good health," he said. "Some get well. Others die."

Yemen's infants face starvation as war rages on

The United Nations issued a warning to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) estimating more than two million children to be at risk of dying from starvation.

Millions of children may die of acute malnutrition in coming months if the necessary aid&nbsp;is not provided, the UN report said.

United Nation humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock&nbsp;during his Geneva briefing informed that he will be visiting the country to meet donors.

Reuters reported Laerke as saying, &quot;We have a great responsibility in the DRC...now is the time to stay the course&quot;.&nbsp;

The kids that are at the&nbsp;risk includes about 300,000 children from Kasai region only.

Congo&#39;s central Kasai region is facing major rebellion conflict between rebel militia and government forces which is now converting into ethnic violence.&nbsp;

The violence&nbsp;intensified after Joseph Kabila, the president refused to step down from his post even after his tenure was ended in December 2016.

Militia mostly made up of Luba people (an ethnic group of Congo) led by Kamwina Nsapu has selectively killed non-luba people.

Reports say that by June 2017, more than 3,300 people have been killed in violence since October 2016 and 20 villages were completely destroyed.

 
&nbsp;

According to the issued warning, millions of children may die of acute malnutrition in coming months if the necessary aid is not provided

The United Nations issued a warning to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) estimating more than two million children to be at risk of dying from starvation. Millions of children may die of acute malnutrition in coming months if the necessary aid is not provided, the UN report said. United Nation humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock during his Geneva briefing informed that he will be visiting the country to meet donors. Reuters reported Laerke as saying, "We have a great responsibility in the DRC...now is the time to stay the course". The kids that are at the risk includes about 300,000 children from Kasai region only. Congo's central Kasai region is facing major rebellion conflict between rebel militia and government forces which is now converting into ethnic violence. The violence intensified after Joseph Kabila, the president refused to step down from his post even after his tenure was ended in December 2016. Militia mostly made up of Luba people (an ethnic group of Congo) led by Kamwina Nsapu has selectively killed non-luba people. Reports say that by June 2017, more than 3,300 people have been killed in violence since October 2016 and 20 villages were completely destroyed.

2 million children at risk of dying from starvation in Congo: United Nations

Is Gundhar Naik home, I asked a woman scrubbing pots and pans outside the house next door.

&quot;Where have you come from, and what do you want here?&quot; she demanded.

I am a journalist from Khariar who has written stories about Gundhar in the past, I explained. I have come to find out how he is doing.

The woman looked closely at me and asked, &quot;Are you Thakurji?&quot; Yes, I said, pleased that she had recognised me after all this time.

I had visited Barlabaheli village in Bangomunda block of Bolangir district, Odisha, several times in 1996-97. Now I was back after a gap of nearly two decades.

In 1996, a severe drought in western Odisha &ndash; across Bolangir, Nuapada and other districts &ndash; had caused hunger and starvation. It led to an exodus &ndash; many migrated for work to the brick kilns of Andhra Pradesh. Sadly, it was not unusual for this area &ndash; every 2-3 years a drought caused such conditions at that time.

Balmati Naik, alias Ghamela, a 32-year-old Adivasi widow of an agricultural labourer, was one of around 300 residents of Barlabaheli village. Her husband had died two years earlier. Ghamela had been forced to give up the little piece of land they owned to repay a loan. She worked as a daily-wage labourer, but following the drought, there was no work to be found in the village. Her six-year-old son Gundhar and she were starving. The locals claimed they had informed block development officials of Ghamela&rsquo;s situation before her death, but they did nothing.

On September 6, 1996, after roughly 15 days of starvation, Ghamela died. Many hours later, the neighbours had found her son screaming and crying beside her body.

My stories on this starvation-driven death and its aftermath were published in Dainik Bhaskar in October 1996. Local social workers and some opposition leaders visited the village and took up the issue. Members of the Human Rights Commission also came and noted that it was a death caused by starvation. Political leaders, the block development officers, the district collector and district magistrate made tracks to the village. Even the then Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda was scheduled to visit, as part of his tour of drought-hit regions, but did not show up.

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/02-img_3446-pt-the_long_aftermath_of_hunger.width-1440-20171016074818.jpg" />
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Reports on Ghamela&#39;s starvation-driven death and her orphaned son Gundhar, in &#39;Dainik Bhaskar&#39; in October 1996 (Others)
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The villagers told the visiting officials that employment opportunities were what they needed most. But when they pressed their case, village leaders had alleged, the district magistrate warned them not to play politics or take their protests too far, or the village would be denied the few benefits (such as ration cards) &nbsp;it was getting.

After his mother&#39;s death, Gundhar was very weak. Local panchayat leaders took the child to Khariar Mission Hospital, nine kilometres away, where he was diagnosed with severe malnutrition and cerebral malaria. He was critically ill, but survived.

After he recovered, Gundhar was sent back to the village. The national media arrived to cover the story. The district administration granted him Rs. 5,000 &ndash; a fixed deposit of Rs. 3,000 and Rs. 2,000 in a savings account. And with that, they washed their hands of the orphan.

For 19 years, I had wondered what had happened to Gundhar.

Ghamela&rsquo;s husband had a son, Sushil, from a previous marriage. When she died, he was around 20 years old and working at a road construction site on the Khariar-Bhawanipatna road.

The neighbour told me that Gundhar now works at the Pappu Rice Mill in Tukla village, less than five kilometres from Barlabaheli. His in-laws live in Tukla, she added, and he has a two-month-old baby. His stepbrother works as a haliya (helper) at a nearby farm.

Riding my motorcycle over the ridges of the fields, I found the farm where Sushil was tilling the land owned by his employer. His three daughters and a son were nearby. Sushil, now 40, was unmarried when I had met him following Gundhar&#39;s mother&rsquo;s death. He did not recognise me, but when I reminded him of the stories I had written, he remembered.

Sushil is paid Rs. 4,000 a month, or Rs. 130 per day, on which the family subsists. Some of his kids had clothes on, some did not. Their poverty was evident.

I left for Tukla to meet Gundhar. At the Pappu Rice Mill, I met the owner Pappu, and he informed me that Gundhar had gone to his village that day. I went to his in-laws&#39; house where I met his wife Rashmita, who was holding their baby boy, Subham. Her husband had gone to Barlabaheli to clean the house and had been gone a long time, she said.

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Gundhar&#39;s wife Rashmita (standing, left), his sister-in-law, and parents-in-law outside their house in Tukla village (Others)
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Rashmita and their son Subham (Others)
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I went back to Barlabaheli. Gundhar was indeed at the house. He smiled and greeted me. The six-year-old had become a young man, a husband and a father. &nbsp;But there was still an innocence about him. And he had never fully recovered from the weakness and malnutrition of his childhood.

The house made of mud and tile was much the same. Gundhar&#39;s family lived in one room and Sushil&#39;s family in the other. Gundhar said they had been living with their in-laws for the delivery of the child. They would return to Barlabaheli soon.

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Two of Sushil&#39;s children at the family&#39;s bare home in Barlabaheli village (Others)
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How much do you remember of the past, I asked Gundhar.

&quot;I remember my parents were never well because they were always hungry,&quot; he said. &quot;My mother had a fever. She starved for several days and then she died.&quot;

When he returned to the village from the hospital, prompted by all the publicity that followed my reportage, the administration got him admission at a local ashram (residential) school for Adivasi students.

&quot;I studied till Class 2 or 3,&quot; Gundhar says. &quot;But when I came home for the summer holidays, it was difficult to get any food. So I shepherded goats and sheep for people and ate whatever they gave me. I never went back to school. Then I worked at a hotel near Tukla. They gave me food and Rs. 50 a day. Once I went with 2-3 friends to work at a brick kiln at Mahasamund. We worked for 3-4 months, but the brick kiln owner did not pay us, intimidated us, and drove us away. &nbsp;We came back and started shepherding cows and bulls for the villagers.&quot;

His brother and sister-in-law got him married. &quot;I am a poor man. The day I earn is the day I eat. So I could not afford any celebration and just brought my bride home.&quot;

How much do you earn at the Pappu mill in Tukla, I asked.

&ldquo;I sew jute sacks there, for which I get Rs. 80 per day,&quot; he replied. &quot;Those who lift sacks of rice get Rs. 130 per day. But I cannot lift the weight in this heat, so I tailor the jute sacks.&rdquo;

Gundhar does not have a BPL (below poverty line) card but has an Antyodaya card under which he gets 35 kilos of rice per month.

Will you educate your children, I ask him.

&ldquo;I am a poor man. I will educate them as much as I can. Because we have trouble getting enough food, my wife cannot breastfeed the baby. So we have to buy Amul milk; that takes most of our money.&quot;

When I once again visited his village a month ago, Gundhar had left for Andhra Pradesh to work at the brick kilns. His entire family had gone to the kilns, to work and raise money for his sister-in-law&#39;s wedding. But they had to work so hard against the six-month advance payment of Rs. 18,000 they received per person, that after returning to Barlabaheli recurring illnesses and medical expenses took up a lot of the money they had earned and tried to save for the wedding.

After a while, Gundhar went back to the kilns. He is now working as a loader there, piling bricks onto tractors for their onward journey.

Nineteen years on, this young man and his family are still struggling to stave off the hunger that claimed his mother and left him with a lifelong frailty.

This <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/articles/the-long-aftermath-of-hunger/" rel="nofollow" target="blank">article</a> was originally&nbsp;published on 21/ 10/2016&nbsp;on the&nbsp;<a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/" rel="nofollow" target="blank">People&#39;s Archive of Rural India.</a>

Photo Credit: Purusottam Thakur

Balmati Naik died of starvation in Barlabaheli village, Odisha, leaving behind her six-year-old son.

Is Gundhar Naik home, I asked a woman scrubbing pots and pans outside the house next door. "Where have you come from, and what do you want here?" she demanded. I am a journalist from Khariar who has written stories about Gundhar in the past, I explained. I have come to find out how he is doing. The woman looked closely at me and asked, "Are you Thakurji?" Yes, I said, pleased that she had recognised me after all this time. I had visited Barlabaheli village in Bangomunda block of Bolangir district, Odisha, several times in 1996-97. Now I was back after a gap of nearly two decades. In 1996, a severe drought in western Odisha – across Bolangir, Nuapada and other districts – had caused hunger and starvation. It led to an exodus – many migrated for work to the brick kilns of Andhra Pradesh. Sadly, it was not unusual for this area – every 2-3 years a drought caused such conditions at that time. Balmati Naik, alias Ghamela, a 32-year-old Adivasi widow of an agricultural labourer, was one of around 300 residents of Barlabaheli village. Her husband had died two years earlier. Ghamela had been forced to give up the little piece of land they owned to repay a loan. She worked as a daily-wage labourer, but following the drought, there was no work to be found in the village. Her six-year-old son Gundhar and she were starving. The locals claimed they had informed block development officials of Ghamela’s situation before her death, but they did nothing. On September 6, 1996, after roughly 15 days of starvation, Ghamela died. Many hours later, the neighbours had found her son screaming and crying beside her body. My stories on this starvation-driven death and its aftermath were published in Dainik Bhaskar in October 1996. Local social workers and some opposition leaders visited the village and took up the issue. Members of the Human Rights Commission also came and noted that it was a death caused by starvation. Political leaders, the block development officers, the district collector and district magistrate made tracks to the village. Even the then Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda was scheduled to visit, as part of his tour of drought-hit regions, but did not show up. Reports on Ghamela's starvation-driven death and her orphaned son Gundhar, in 'Dainik Bhaskar' in October 1996 (Others) × The villagers told the visiting officials that employment opportunities were what they needed most. But when they pressed their case, village leaders had alleged, the district magistrate warned them not to play politics or take their protests too far, or the village would be denied the few benefits (such as ration cards) it was getting. After his mother's death, Gundhar was very weak. Local panchayat leaders took the child to Khariar Mission Hospital, nine kilometres away, where he was diagnosed with severe malnutrition and cerebral malaria. He was critically ill, but survived. After he recovered, Gundhar was sent back to the village. The national media arrived to cover the story. The district administration granted him Rs. 5,000 – a fixed deposit of Rs. 3,000 and Rs. 2,000 in a savings account. And with that, they washed their hands of the orphan. For 19 years, I had wondered what had happened to Gundhar. Ghamela’s husband had a son, Sushil, from a previous marriage. When she died, he was around 20 years old and working at a road construction site on the Khariar-Bhawanipatna road. The neighbour told me that Gundhar now works at the Pappu Rice Mill in Tukla village, less than five kilometres from Barlabaheli. His in-laws live in Tukla, she added, and he has a two-month-old baby. His stepbrother works as a haliya (helper) at a nearby farm. Riding my motorcycle over the ridges of the fields, I found the farm where Sushil was tilling the land owned by his employer. His three daughters and a son were nearby. Sushil, now 40, was unmarried when I had met him following Gundhar's mother’s death. He did not recognise me, but when I reminded him of the stories I had written, he remembered. Sushil is paid Rs. 4,000 a month, or Rs. 130 per day, on which the family subsists. Some of his kids had clothes on, some did not. Their poverty was evident. I left for Tukla to meet Gundhar. At the Pappu Rice Mill, I met the owner Pappu, and he informed me that Gundhar had gone to his village that day. I went to his in-laws' house where I met his wife Rashmita, who was holding their baby boy, Subham. Her husband had gone to Barlabaheli to clean the house and had been gone a long time, she said. Gundhar's wife Rashmita (standing, left), his sister-in-law, and parents-in-law outside their house in Tukla village (Others) × Rashmita and their son Subham (Others) × I went back to Barlabaheli. Gundhar was indeed at the house. He smiled and greeted me. The six-year-old had become a young man, a husband and a father. But there was still an innocence about him. And he had never fully recovered from the weakness and malnutrition of his childhood. The house made of mud and tile was much the same. Gundhar's family lived in one room and Sushil's family in the other. Gundhar said they had been living with their in-laws for the delivery of the child. They would return to Barlabaheli soon. Two of Sushil's children at the family's bare home in Barlabaheli village (Others) × How much do you remember of the past, I asked Gundhar. "I remember my parents were never well because they were always hungry," he said. "My mother had a fever. She starved for several days and then she died." When he returned to the village from the hospital, prompted by all the publicity that followed my reportage, the administration got him admission at a local ashram (residential) school for Adivasi students. "I studied till Class 2 or 3," Gundhar says. "But when I came home for the summer holidays, it was difficult to get any food. So I shepherded goats and sheep for people and ate whatever they gave me. I never went back to school. Then I worked at a hotel near Tukla. They gave me food and Rs. 50 a day. Once I went with 2-3 friends to work at a brick kiln at Mahasamund. We worked for 3-4 months, but the brick kiln owner did not pay us, intimidated us, and drove us away. We came back and started shepherding cows and bulls for the villagers." His brother and sister-in-law got him married. "I am a poor man. The day I earn is the day I eat. So I could not afford any celebration and just brought my bride home." How much do you earn at the Pappu mill in Tukla, I asked. “I sew jute sacks there, for which I get Rs. 80 per day," he replied. "Those who lift sacks of rice get Rs. 130 per day. But I cannot lift the weight in this heat, so I tailor the jute sacks.” Gundhar does not have a BPL (below poverty line) card but has an Antyodaya card under which he gets 35 kilos of rice per month. Will you educate your children, I ask him. “I am a poor man. I will educate them as much as I can. Because we have trouble getting enough food, my wife cannot breastfeed the baby. So we have to buy Amul milk; that takes most of our money." When I once again visited his village a month ago, Gundhar had left for Andhra Pradesh to work at the brick kilns. His entire family had gone to the kilns, to work and raise money for his sister-in-law's wedding. But they had to work so hard against the six-month advance payment of Rs. 18,000 they received per person, that after returning to Barlabaheli recurring illnesses and medical expenses took up a lot of the money they had earned and tried to save for the wedding. After a while, Gundhar went back to the kilns. He is now working as a loader there, piling bricks onto tractors for their onward journey. Nineteen years on, this young man and his family are still struggling to stave off the hunger that claimed his mother and left him with a lifelong frailty. This article was originally published on 21/ 10/2016 on the People's Archive of Rural India. Photo Credit: Purusottam Thakur

The long aftermath of hunger

The United Nations has made the first food aid delivery to thousands of people displaced by Boko Haram Islamists in the Nigerian town of Banki, where hundreds have starved to death since March, the UN said on Friday. 
 
Officials from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) delivered 30 tonnes of &quot;various lifesaving food items&quot; transported from neighbouring Cameroon, the OCHA said in a statement.&nbsp;The convoy reached Banki on Thursday and distributed food to the more than 25,000 people in the town, it said. 
 
&quot;An additional 700 kilograms of supplementary food for malnourished children was airlifted from the state capital Maiduguri to Banki on the same day.&quot;&nbsp;It was the first aid delivery to the thousands of internally displaced in the northeast region in the last four months following deadly Boko Haram raids. 
 
They have been without food and basic supplies and relied on paltry food handouts from soldiers who have been sharing their rations.&nbsp;Last month a soldier and a vigilante assisting the military in fighting Boko Haram told AFP at least 10 people were dying from hunger every day, highlighting warnings about a food crisis in the Sahel region. 
 
The vigilante said the cemetery in Banki, some 130 kilometres (80 miles) southeast of the Borno state capital Maiduguri, was dotted with 376 graves of displaced people who died of starvation.&nbsp;The soldier said people had been reduced to &quot;walking corpses&quot; facing imminent death without food aid. 
 
When Boko Haram intensified attacks on villages in the area, residents fled to Banki where a military detachment has been based since they retook it in September.&nbsp;The United Nations said in May that 9.2 million people living around Lake Chad, which forms the border of Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger, were in desperate need of food. 
 
According to the OCHA aid distribution in Banki and other areas recently liberated by the Nigerian military was &quot;scaling up&quot; but more funds were needed to meet the &quot;lifesaving needs&quot; of people affected by Boko Haram violence in northeast Nigeria. 
 
Only 28 per cent of the $279 million required by the UN to help those affected by the violence has been realised, leaving a $200 million shortfall. 
 
The Borno state government and aid agencies have warned about acute food shortages in the Lake Chad region as a result of seven years of violence. 
 
Boko Haram&#39;s insurgency has left at least 20,000 dead in Nigeria and devastated infrastructure in the impoverished northeast. The unrest has also displaced more than 2.6 million.&nbsp;Nigeria&#39;s government has been encouraging people to return home since the recapture of swathes of territory lost to the Islamist militants in 2014 but most are still largely reliant on food handouts. 
 
There have been concerns about high death rates from severe acute malnutrition in camps for the internally displaced, while it is feared some inaccessible areas could be suffering from famine.&nbsp;A UN official compared the situation with the crisis in Darfur and South Sudan. 
 
(AFP)

The camps have seen high death rates from severe acute malnutrition in camps, even famine. A UN official compared it to the Darfur crisis

The United Nations has made the first food aid delivery to thousands of people displaced by Boko Haram Islamists in the Nigerian town of Banki, where hundreds have starved to death since March, the UN said on Friday. Officials from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) delivered 30 tonnes of "various lifesaving food items" transported from neighbouring Cameroon, the OCHA said in a statement. The convoy reached Banki on Thursday and distributed food to the more than 25,000 people in the town, it said. "An additional 700 kilograms of supplementary food for malnourished children was airlifted from the state capital Maiduguri to Banki on the same day." It was the first aid delivery to the thousands of internally displaced in the northeast region in the last four months following deadly Boko Haram raids. They have been without food and basic supplies and relied on paltry food handouts from soldiers who have been sharing their rations. Last month a soldier and a vigilante assisting the military in fighting Boko Haram told AFP at least 10 people were dying from hunger every day, highlighting warnings about a food crisis in the Sahel region. The vigilante said the cemetery in Banki, some 130 kilometres (80 miles) southeast of the Borno state capital Maiduguri, was dotted with 376 graves of displaced people who died of starvation. The soldier said people had been reduced to "walking corpses" facing imminent death without food aid. When Boko Haram intensified attacks on villages in the area, residents fled to Banki where a military detachment has been based since they retook it in September. The United Nations said in May that 9.2 million people living around Lake Chad, which forms the border of Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger, were in desperate need of food. According to the OCHA aid distribution in Banki and other areas recently liberated by the Nigerian military was "scaling up" but more funds were needed to meet the "lifesaving needs" of people affected by Boko Haram violence in northeast Nigeria. Only 28 per cent of the $279 million required by the UN to help those affected by the violence has been realised, leaving a $200 million shortfall. The Borno state government and aid agencies have warned about acute food shortages in the Lake Chad region as a result of seven years of violence. Boko Haram's insurgency has left at least 20,000 dead in Nigeria and devastated infrastructure in the impoverished northeast. The unrest has also displaced more than 2.6 million. Nigeria's government has been encouraging people to return home since the recapture of swathes of territory lost to the Islamist militants in 2014 but most are still largely reliant on food handouts. There have been concerns about high death rates from severe acute malnutrition in camps for the internally displaced, while it is feared some inaccessible areas could be suffering from famine. A UN official compared the situation with the crisis in Darfur and South Sudan. (AFP)

UN delivers food to starving displaced by Boko Haram

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