Niger: IMF and EU are blamed for starvation

As the first shipments of emergency aid reached feeding centres in Niger, accusations are mounting that economic policies imposed on the country from outside contributed to the food shortages affecting up to three million people. Some aid specialists blamed the International Monetary Fund and the European Union. Their economic programmes have contributed to sharp rises in the prices of staples such as sorghum and millet. Others said the Niamey government had downplayed the emergency to protect local food traders who are resistant to free aid because it undermines markets.