[stop-imf] Niger food crisis issues

[robert weissman]

Institute for Public Accuracy
915 National Press Building, Washington, D.C. 20045
(202) 347-0020 * http://www.accuracy.org * ipa@accuracy.org
___________________________________________________

          Tuesday, August 23, 2005

          * Kofi Annan in Niger
          * What About Mali?

          Interviews Available

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan is touring famine-stricken Niger today.
The following analysts are available for interviews:

KEVIN PHELAN, (212) 655-3763, (646) 201-8230, kevin.phelan@newyork.msf.org,
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/
In a statement released today, Nobel Peace Prize recipient Doctors Without
Borders stated: "Recently-begun food distributions in Niger are not
reaching those with the greatest needs, especially children under five
years of age in the worst-affected areas. ... The U.N. was slow to react to
the current epidemic of acute malnutrition in Niger, and its response
continues to be inadequate. The organization blamed the nutritional crisis
on drought and an invasion of locusts, and in November 2004 supported the
Nigerien government's decision to only respond to the emergency by only
offering subsidized food aid. The most deprived Nigeriens, or those in
greatest need, had no access to assistance."

Kevin Phelan is a press officer with Doctors Without Borders. Phelan added:
"Many factors contributed to the current disaster. ... The effects from ...
natural events could have been addressed with a vigorous response when the
first signs of a food crisis appeared in early 2005. The Nigerien
government, though, was urged by international financial institutions, key
donor countries, and U.N. agencies to act in ways that would not
destabilize the local food market or drain resources from ongoing
development projects. ... Even as thousands perished by late June, some
donors praised the Nigerien government for respecting the market and not
distributing free food."

SAMEER DOSSANI, (202) 463-2265, sameer@50years.org, http://www.50years.org
Dossani is the director of the 50 Years Is Enough Network. He said today:
"A few months before the onset of one of the worst famines in recent
memory, the International Monetary Fund praised the government of Niger for
its 'overall strong performance.' According to the IMF, Niger's economy had
made great strides in implementing policy reforms, and needed to focus on
pursuing the privatization agenda and other fiscal reforms. The government
was pressured to reduce its grain stocks and implement a value added tax on
basic goods including meat, dairy and produce, raising the price of food
for citizens. In Niger's capital Niamey, produce and grain imported from
abroad are readily available at costs comparable with world markets, but
these are out of reach for the majority of Niger's population who live
below the poverty line and rely on subsistence agriculture for their
living. While the famine can be attributed partly to nature, had courses of
development been open to Niger other than the model touted by the IMF, the
current disaster might have been lessened if not avoided altogether."

EMILIE PARRY, [via Coco McCabe, (617) 728-2503], cmccabe@oxfamamerica.org,
http://www.oxfamamerica.org
Emilie Parry is Oxfam America's deputy director of humanitarian response.
She said today: "A food crisis is now gripping countries across West
Africa. While the media spotlight has focused on Niger, where 3.6 million
people are affected, neighboring Mali is also struggling. In Mali about 1.1
million are now at risk. Remote nomadic communities in Timbuktu, Gao, and
Kidal, in the northern part of Mali, are among the worst affected. For
these communities, and others like them in Niger, food aid will provide
only temporary relief. For nomads who have lost all of their animals, the
emergency response must go hand in hand with sustained assistance to help
people rebuild their lives."

For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167