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Geneva, December 26, 2009 – Aid organization Medecins
Sans Frontieres (MSF) released Monday its list of the ten worst global
humanitarian crises for 2009, with places like Somalia, Yemen and
Afghanistan making the grouping, along with failing efforts to fight
malnutrition and HIV/AIDS. "There is no question that civilians are
increasingly victimized in conflicts and further cut off from lifesaving
assistance, often deliberately," said Christophe Fournier, the president
of MSF (Doctors Without Borders).
"In places like Sri Lanka and Yemen, where armed conflicts raged in
2009, aid groups were either blocked from accessing those in need or
forced out because they too came under fire. This unacceptable dynamic
is becoming the norm," Fournier said.
Civilians were also "attacked, bombed, and cut off from aid" in
Pakistan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, while the doctors'
organization said it remained concerned over the persistent humanitarian
problems in southern Sudan and the western region of Darfur.
In Afghanistan, MSF warned there were "only a few poorly functioning
hospitals and clinics in provincial capitals" leaving many without any
access to medical services, as the country underwent increasing levels
of violence.
The group said an estimated 3.5 to 5 million children die each year from
malnutrition-related causes and blamed a lack of donor funding along
with a misuse of funds that are given.
"MSF found that less than two per cent of (the) assistance is spent on
food that includes the nutrients required to prevent childhood
malnutrition," a statement said.
Similarly, funding for HIV/AIDS treatment appeared to be winding down,
in spite of donors' pledges, while research for cures for neglected
diseases in the developing world was lacking.
Source: DPA, Mon, 21 Dec 2009
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