Corrupt African politicians, their cronies, the business elite and the well connected, have hijacked and exercise full control over all resources including land, labour, capital and revenues from all economic activities in Africa today. In this alarming 'top 10' crisis spots in the world, alongside Iraq and Pakistan, Of the 'Top 10' list of most needy countries judged by violence, poverty and medical needs, Africa holds 5 out of 8 on the list, plus a further 2 for 'out of control situations', thanks to these corrupt African politicians and their associates who are holding the people captive with their ill-conceived economic policies and programmes. Poverty in Africa today is the modern version of the slavery that took place five centuries ago. See also Slavery in Africa today
The annual ranking from Doctors Without Borders of the world's Top 10 Humanitarian Crises. They've looked at violence, grinding poverty and unmet medical needs in 70-plus countries -- more than a third of the global total -- where desperate conditions prevail, and they've come up with a list of eight, plus two out-of-control situations that are as bad as it gets.
They are:
- Somalia: With more than a million people forced from their homes, many in the face of extreme danger, this country has "seemingly limitless humanitarian needs," says the Doctors Without Borders website. Yet targeted attacks, including assassinations and kidnappings, against aid workers "make it an almost impossible place to administer aid." So unmet needs continue to multiply, as does the death toll while people take greater and greater risks to try to flee.
- Myanmar: Maybe Cyclone Nargis did one good thing when it devastated the country last May. It finally put Myanmar into the international spotlight. With a government that annually spends just 70 cents per capita on health care, and with foreign aid totalling just $3 a head, it's about time. But with a suspicious government interfering with aid delivery, problems -- especially health problems -- abound. In particular, HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria -- all treatable, and often preventable -- run rampant.
- Zimbabwe: Rampant HIV/AIDS and other killer diseases, a dysfunctional economy with inflation running at 231 million per cent, a population desperate to flee the country, repression of political opposition and outside humanitarian groups -- the bottom line is reflected in one horrifying statistic: Life expectancy in the country that was once Africa's bread basket has plummeted to just 34 years.
- DR Congo: Failure of yet another ceasefire in North Kivu region means more of the fighting that has gone on for years, more violence directed at civilians, and hundreds of thousands more refugees. They flee in all directions, but most don't even find a place to provide clean water, food or basic health care. The International Rescue Committee estimates that, throughout the Congo, violence and deprivation have killed 5.4 million since 1988.
- Ethiopia: Caught between warring rebels and government troops, and beset by drought, the nomadic people of Ethiopia's Somali region are losing their livelihoods, if not their lives. Treatable diseases run rampant in the absence of medical help. They are worsened by malnutrition, especially in children. Meanwhile, too few aid workers are further hampered by bureaucratic hurdles.
- Pakistan: Fighting between government and anti-government forces combined with U.S. bombing of suspected terrorist strongholds have resulted in massive displacement of refugees. "In just a few days, hundreds of thousands of people fled fighting that broke out in the tribal area of Bajuar Agency," said Fabien Schneider, the Doctors Without Borders head of mission in the region. "In the camps we visited, we were told about bombings and people who died."
- Sudan: "Media attention and political involvement in Darfur means that everyone knows about conflict here," says Banu Altunbas, the agency's head of mission in South Darfur. "But in the last four years, the situation has not improved. In fact, for most people, things are worse." There's also a continuing, decades-old civil war in the south of the sprawling country.
- Iraq: Since the U.S. invasion in 2003, Doctors Without Borders maintains, "Various military and political actors have sought to use and abuse humanitarian action for political purposes and in so doing have made humanitarian organizations a target for violent attacks." This has complicated the always-difficult task of addressing acute civilian needs in the country. It got so bad that Doctors Without Borders withdrew from violence-affected regions of the country, but it is now cautiously starting to return.
- Childhood malnutrition:
Food riots early in 2008 put a spotlight on the impact of price increases on the world's poor. But a less visible disaster -- 178 million malnourished children worldwide -- continues largely under the radar. The World Health Organization estimates that malnutrition contributes to the deaths of 3.5 million-5 million children a year. UNICEF also reports that child hunger is getting worse in 16 countries around the globe.
- HIV/AIDS and TB: 
TB is on the rise -- nine million new cases and 1.7 million deaths a year. Most of the new cases and the deaths are in the regions and among the populations that are hardest hit by HIV/AIDS. TB can kill an AIDS patient in just a few short weeks, and people with suppressed immune systems are 50 times more likely to develop TB. Yet less than one per cent of the people living with HIV/AIDS are tested for TB.
So there you have it -- a distressing Top 10 list, if ever there was one.
Ref;
UNAIDS 2008 Report of the global AIDS epidemic
'Nigeria 3rd Highest Infested Country' ... after South Africa and India,
33 countries face "alarming" levels of hunger
The index measures global hunger by ranking countries on prevalence of child malnutrition, rates of child mortality, and the proportion of people who are calorie deficient. The Democratic Republic of Congo scored the worst on the Index, followed by Eritrea, Burundi, Niger, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ethiopia.
Zim's horror on film .....millions of impoverished, half-starved Zimbabweans fearing their own drinking water...... what Zimbabwe's autocratic leader does not want seen: the stark reality of life and death.......
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