Waiting Would Be ‘Death Sentence’ for Millions on Brink of Starvation: Relief Chief

Millions of people are teetering on the brink of starvation as conflict rages across many corners of the world. Nowhere is this more evident than in Sudan and Gaza, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said on Wednesday.

“War is pushing millions of people to the brink of starvation. Only technicalities prevent famines from being declared, as people are already dying of hunger,” said Mr. Griffiths.

“Waiting for an official declaration of famine before acting would be a death sentence for hundreds of thousands of people and a moral outrage,” he added.

As the G7 major economies prepare to meet on Thursday, Mr. Griffiths is calling on leaders in the most developed nations to immediately use their political leverage and financial resources to support aid organizations in their efforts to reach all those in need.

The G7, consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The UN Humanitarian Affairs chief said they should wield their influence to stop such a ‘preventable scourge’ from taking the lives of innocent civilians.