Eye on the world: Feeding and healing a young nation

In “When a famine points to a deeper needThe Christian Science Monitor reports that “last week, the United Nations issued its first famine alert in six years, citing a dire need for aid to reach 100,000 people currently facing starvation in South Sudan. At least another million people in the East African nation are on the brink of famine, the UN said, a result largely of a three-year civil war. The alert drew welcome promises of food aid from a few wealthy nations. But equally in need is a fresh way to end the conflict in the world’s youngest country.” The problem goes beyond a shortage of food supply—the country needs to reconcile the political and religious strife. “To bring its famine as well as its cycle of violence to an end, South Sudan needs the kind of patience that religious leaders can offer in bringing rival leaders and groups together in public discussions about social healing. Other countries that have suffered conflict, such as Liberia, have found reconciliation by relying on traditional methods of arbitration. South Sudan must do the same, community by community, even as food aid is rushed to its hungriest people.”

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