Niger

A July 27 NY Times article by Nicholas Kristof showed the mind-jarring difference between US media coverage of celebrities (huge, of course) and their coverage of the genocide in Darfur (absolutely minimal.) The same media seem to be doing somewhat better reporting now on the starvation in Niger.

Tonight BBC online has posted a stark report on the Niger disaster. Here are the closing lines:

"Even at the best of times, Niger is an extremely poor country with about one in four children dying before their fifth birthday and only about 18% of the population knowing how to read and write.

"On the UN's human development index, Niger rates 176th out of 177 countries.

"Now the combination of a poor harvest in 2004 and an invasion of locusts has pushed Niger over the edge.

"'It makes me angry,' says Johanna Sakannus of MSF (Doctors Without Borders). 'I'm very sad about this situation. It could have been avoided if the international community had sent in resources earlier.'"