Hunger in Sudan
Thank you for Ann Simmons’ report (June 28) on famine and war in the southern Sudan, where 2.6 million people, most of them Dinka, are at risk of starvation.
While drought has aggravated the famine, the real cause of this mammoth hunger is war. Last month, a government airplane dropped six bombs within 200 meters of the World Vision emergency feeding center in the village of Panacier. There was no obvious target at Panacier other than the feeding center. I can only conclude that this unconscionable act was a deliberate attempt to maim and kill hundreds of Dinkas already on the verge of death by starvation. Thankfully, the bombs caused no human injury. But hunger does. We are losing a child a day to starvation at Panacier.
The famine will end and Dinka culture will survive only if the international community musters the resolve to end this vicious war.
DEAN R. HIRSCH
President, World Vision
Monrovia
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
