Massive Starvation in Africa

“UN humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien said that more than 20 million people faced the threat of starvation and famine in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria. Unicef has already warned 1.4m children could starve to death this year” (BBC, March 11, 2017). The crisis has been called the “largest humanitarian crisis since the creation of the United Nations” (ibid.). According to Mr. O’Brien, if the disaster is not averted the world will witness “Children stunted and out of school. Livelihoods, futures and hope will be lost. Communities’ resilience rapidly wilting away. Development gains reversed. Many will be displaced and will continue to move in search for survival, creating ever more instability across entire regions” (ibid.). The famine and starvation in this region of Africa are due to both weather and war.

Long ago God warned that the governments of mankind will not lead to peace and prosperity for all (Proverbs 14:12). It will take the return of Christ and His perfect government to bring about real, lasting abundance and true peace. The Bible foretells this bountiful future: “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘when the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it’” (Amos 9:13). This is a time all true Christians must yearn and pray for. God speed the return of His Son and the end of suffering! For more on this topic, read or listen to “The Origin and Future of Suffering.”