Instead of sending weapons to the Middle East, we should be sending food

President Trump's new arms agreement with Saudi Arabia ignores the most urgent threat in the Middle East: famine.

Yemen is on the brink of starvation because of a civil war between a Saudi-led coalition and rebels.

Sending more arms to Saudi Arabia will strengthen its military machine to further wage war in Yemen. As Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said, "many of the armaments we’re providing to Saudi Arabia will help them be much more precise and targeted with many of their strikes."
What we should be doing instead is providing food to Yemen.

See my full commentary at The Hill:

Food Urgently Needed in War-Torn Yemen

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s plea for “humanitarian assistance throughout Yemen” must be followed with robust action by the U.S. and its allies.

There is a severe risk of famine in the impoverished Middle Eastern nation. The United States and other donor nations must increase their food aid to Yemen.

The United Nations World Food Programme says there are now 17 million people in Yemen struggling to find food, with about 7 million needing emergency aid just to survive.

Read my full article at the Huffington Post:

Yemen: The Forgotten Famine

Yemen has been in the news this week after Al Qaeda attacked a military base in the southern part of the country. Both the Al Qaeda and ISIS terrorist groups are operating in Yemen, which has been in chaos from a civil war since last year.

But what has not made the news is the biggest threat of all to Yemen: famine.

See my full commentary at the Huffington Post:

Syria Must Allow Food to Starving Civilians in Darayya

We can’t let civilians starve to death because of this tragic civil war in Syria. But right now in the town of Darayya, in Southern Syria, thousands of innocent civilians have no food or medicine.

Read my full commentary at The Huffington Post:

Syria airdrops are “glimmer of hope” in darkness of war

United Nations advisor Jan Egeland said Thursday that the World Food Programme (WFP) made two airdrops in one day of life-saving food into the besieged Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor.

Read the full article at Examiner.

Syrian refugees and hunger: An interview with Caroline Brennan of CRS

The Syrian Civil War just reached its fifth dreadful anniversary. The war has led to the worst humanitarian crisis of our generation.

Millions of Syrians have fled their homeland seeking refuge in other Middle Eastern countries and even onto Europe. The refugees can escape the fighting, but hunger and poverty follow them.

They need the help of humanitarian agencies like Catholic Relief Services (CRS). Since World War II, CRS has come to the rescue of displaced civilians and the Syria crisis is one of its biggest operations ever.

Caroline Brennan of CRS is a senior communications officer in their Humanitarian Response Department. She recently took time to answer questions about the hunger crisis facing the Syrian refugees and what people can do to help.

Read the interview at Examiner:

Can task force ensure humanitarian aid for Syrians?

On Friday the Task Force on Humanitarian Access in Syria met in Geneva to discuss plans for bringing life-saving supplies immediately into besieged areas. There are currently 500,000 Syrians who are starving in areas blocked off by the combatants of the brutal civil war.

Read the full article at Examiner:

U.S., Russia agree on humanitarian aid, ceasefire for Syria

Secretary of State John Kerry said tonight that agreement has been reached in war-torn Syria for the delivery of live-saving humanitarian aid to civilians. Kerry stated “We have agreed to accelerate and expand the delivery of humanitarian aid beginning immediately.”

Read the full article at Examiner.

Save the Syrian Peace Talks, End the Starvation

Never again. We hear those words in reaction to atrocities committed against mankind. But we have to put actions behind those words.

Syrian civilians under siege from a civil war are trying to survive eating leaves and grass. They are pleading for the international community for help. But the war and hunger goes on.

Read the full commentary at The Huffington Post.

Kerry remarks on Syria talks and urgent need for humanitarian aid

Secretary of State John Kerry said today it’s urgent that humanitarian access be granted to besieged areas of Syria. The warring forces continue to block food and other supplies from reaching starving civilians.

Read the full article at Examiner.

UN envoy asks Syrians to raise voice against war and hunger

The UN envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, addressed all Syrians on Thursday ahead of peace talks to end the civil war. Syria lies in ruin from the five year conflict between the government and rebels. Famine is threatening millions.

Read the full article at Examiner.

UN official says Yemeni cities low on food

Food supplies are starting to reach the Yemeni city of Taiz, which has been under siege from a civil war. Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East, has been engulfed in conflict since last year.

Read the full article at Examiner.

Yemen: struggle against famine continues

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) continues to bring life-saving aid daily to starving civilians in Yemen. WFP just delivered food Thursday to the besieged city of Taiz.

Read the full article at Examiner.

Syria: airstrikes displace civilians, food supplies destroyed

The United Nations says that airstrikes by Syria‘s government and allies have intensified in the northwest part of the country. Also, in a report released yesterday, the Norwegian Refugee Council says relief agencies have been forced to suspend operations in these conflict zones. This at a time when civilians are most in need.

Read the full article at Examiner.

WFP reaches Haditha and Al Baghdadi in Iraq

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) on Tuesday distributed food in two besieged Iraqi cities for the first time in months. Around 70,000 Iraqis in Haditha and Al Baghdadi of the central governorate of Anbar received WFP rations.

Read the full article at Examiner.

Cyclones strike Yemen, thousands displaced and needing aid

The United Nations, in an update released Sunday night, says over 6,000 families have been displaced in Yemen from Tropical Cyclone Chapala. Several fatalities and over 60 injuries have been reported. Another storm, Cyclone Megh, has also just made landfall in Socotra, a Yemeni island already damaged from Cyclone Chapala.

Read the full article at Examiner.

Starvation threatens city in Southern Yemen

The city of Taiz in southern Yemen is facing a severe hunger emergency, according to the UN World Food Programme (WFP). In a statement today, WFP said the city had not received food aid in weeks. Roads have been blocked by fighting between the Saudi Arabia-backed coalition and the Houthi rebels.

Read the full article at Examiner.

MSJ visitor tells of Syria hunger tragedy

Professor Jeff Hillard’s English class at Mount St. Joseph University had a special visitor this past Saturday, coming from Egypt!

Dina El-Kassaby, a communications officer with the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), spoke to the class via Skype. The WFP is the largest global hunger relief organization.

Read the full article at Cincinnati.com

Famine threatens Yemen, ceasefire desperately needed

The United Nations, in a report released yesterday, says a key Yemeni port has sustained severe damage, preventing food deliveries for potentially millions. This is the latest blow to strike Yemen, a country spiraling toward famine because of a civil war.

Read the full article at Examiner.

This food is vital for Yemen's children

When a UN World Food Programme (WFP) vessel recently docked in Aden, Yemen it came with a life-saving food item for children. The war in Yemen has placed children at risk of deadly malnutrition.

Read the full article at Examiner.