The majority of the Congolese people are starving to die, one pound at a time. A death here and death there, and no one seems to notice or count them. But they add up to over 5.4 million people in the last 10 years.
Congolese are living in the "perfect storm" of war, violent conflict and political instability, high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, inequality and a lack of general freedom.
Now, the rising cost of food will fuel the "perfect storm" of death. The major of victims are children under five years old.
DEVELOPMENT: A Billion Hungry People Need Rescue Plan Too.
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 14 (IPS) - Relief for the world's hungry remains a distant prospect, with this year's "Global Hunger Index" (GHI) attesting that even before the ongoing food crisis, 33 countries had "alarming" or "extremely alarming" levels of hunger.
"Although we found several success stories, there was no across-the-board success," Marion Aberle, a spokesperson for Welthungerhilfe (formerly known as German Agro-Action), told IPS about the recent GHI.
She added that "it is simply a scandal that almost one billion people worldwide are still suffering from hunger."
While the GHI decreased by almost 40 percent in Latin America, by about 30 percent in Southeast Asia and about 25 percent in South Asia, it shrunk by only 11 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa.
"Deterioration has been most dramatic in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)," Aberle said. With a GHI of 42.7 -- up from 25.5 in 1990 -- the country is now scoring worst.
In DRC, all common characteristics for states heavily affected by hunger can be found: war, violent conflict and political instability, high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, inequality and a lack of general freedom.
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