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A6 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 18 January 2023
World Food Program chief Somali famine slowed, not avoided

By JAMEY KEATEN nounced $411 million in ad-
Associated Press ditional funding for Soma-
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) lia’s crisis last month after a
— The head of the Nobel report by the U.N. and oth-
Peace Prize-winning World er experts said more than
Food Program says support 8 million Somalis are badly
from donors like the United food insecure because
States and Germany have of drought and high food
allowed it to postpone prices. Thousands have
though not entirely avert died.
famine in Somalia but When Beasley took the job
stressed that “we’re not out in 2017, some 80 million
of this yet.” people worldwide were
WFP Executive Director Da- on the brink of starvation
vid Beasley said countries and faced chronic hunger.
in the Horn of Africa have Conflict, climate change
faced “unprecedented cli- and COVID-19 have
mate impact” from years caused that to balloon to
of drought, and the U.N. 350 million today because
agency had been expect- of economic devastation
ing to announce famine and supply-chain disrup-
in Somalia before donors tions.
“stepped up in magnificent “You think you can’t get
ways.””And we’ve been any worse. Then the bread-
able to I don’t know if the World Food Program chief David Beasley speaks to The Associated Press in the village of Wagalla basket of the world is shut
in northern Kenya Friday, Aug. 19, 2022.
right word is ‘avert’ famine Associated Press down: Ukraine,” Beasley
but we definitely have post- said. “Now (the country
poned it,” he told The Asso- technically in Somalia” be- like cholera. nounced plans to step has) the longest bread
ciated Press at the World cause “famine-like condi- A formal famine declara- down in April, has parlayed lines in the world,” allud-
Economic Forum meeting tions” already exist. tion means data shows his political experience as a ing to Russia’s war that has
in Davos, Switzerland, on “Once you officially de- more than a fifth of house- former Republican gover- upended food production
Tuesday. “We’ve been for- clare to be a famine, well, holds have extreme food nor of the U.S. state of South and exports from Ukraine.
tunate so far, given the cli- it’s too late,” Beasley said. gaps, more than 30% of Carolina to wrest greater There is such demand for
mate shocks inside Soma- Famine is the extreme lack children are acutely mal- funding for the World Food food and fertilizer, of which
lia. But we’re not out of this of food and a significant nourished and over two Program from Washington Russia was a top global
yet.” death rate from outright people out of 10,000 are under both the Biden and supplier, that nutrients for
But he warned that “we still starvation or malnutrition dying every day. Trump administrations. crops must get to farmers
could end up with a famine combined with diseases Beasley, who has an- The United States an- who need them. q

Greta Thunberg carried away by police at German mine protest

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER many’s western city of Co- police and energy compa- protesters joined a protest All the people in that group
Associated Press logne and to a state gov- ny RWE. march near Luetzerath. The had to be carried away
BERLIN (AP) — Police in ernment building in Dues- Those who refused to leave village itself was evacuat- from the edge of the mine
western Germany carried seldorf. the tracks were carried ed by the police in recent and were then temporar-
Swedish climate activist Near Rommerskirchen, a away, dpa reported. days and is sealed off. ily held to determine their
Greta Thunberg and other group of about 120 activists In addition, several people Once again, there were a identities, police said. Pho-
protesters away Tuesday also occupied the coal rail- occupied a giant digger few clashes with the police. tos from the scene showed
from the edge of an open road tracks to the Neurath at the coal mine of Inden, Several activists ran over Thunberg was one of those
coal pit mine where they power plant, according to while hundreds of other to the Garzweiler open pit whom officers took away.
demonstrated against the mine, according to dpa. One protester was able to
ongoing destruction of a They stood at the brink of enter the mine, RWE said,
village to make way for the the open pit, which has a calling the move “very
mine’s expansion, German sharp break-off edge. Po- reckless,” dpa said.
news agency dpa report- lice said it was dangerous A police spokesman, who
ed. and people were prohib- spoke on condition of ano-
Thunberg was among hun- ited from staying there. nymity as is customary in
dreds of people who re- Thunberg had traveled to Germany, said he was not
sumed anti-mining protests western Germany to par- permitted to give out any
at multiple locations in the ticipate in weekend dem- details on Thunberg or any
western German state of onstrations against the other individuals who par-
North Rhine-Westphalia a expanded mine and also ticipated in the protest due
day after the last two cli- took part in Tuesday’s pro- to privacy rules.
mate activists holed up in a test near Luetzerath. Police Police and RWE started
tunnel beneath the village in nearby Aachen said a evicting protesters from Lu-
of Luetzerath left the site. Police officers carry Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg group of around 50 protest- etzerath on Jan. 11, remov-
Elsewhere in western Ger- away from the edge of the Garzweiler II opencast lignite mine ers got dangerously close ing roadblocks, chopping
many, dozens of climate during a protest action by climate activists after the clearance to the rim of the mine and down treehouses and bull-
activists glued themselves of Luetzerath, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. did not want to leave de- dozing buildings.q
to a main street in Ger- Associated Press spite being asked to do so.