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afrol News, 11 September 2002 - 2801 innocent people were killed in the unforgivable terrorist attacks on the United States exactly one year ago. An estimated 100,000 people were directly affected, according to the September 11th Fund, which has collected US$ 500 million to support these victims. In Africa, meanwhile, many more fall victim to unforgivable and avoidable poverty each day; with no funds to help them. We are today all mourning the victims of a senseless terror attack that has made the entire globe a less safe place to live. Americans and non-Americans alike, we miss the status quo of 10 September 2001. When it comes to geopolitical safety, that is. In Africa, 10 September 2001 was like 11 September 2001, as it remains equal to 11 September 2002. Africa has not become more or less safe for the continent's 820 million inhabitants - three time the US' population. To say that 2801 persons die each day due to the failure to fight poverty is a gross understatement. The average African can expect to live to be 54 years old; 26 years less than the average North American. Life expectancy is even falling in large parts of Africa. The explanation is simple; the continent has inadequate social services (health, education, social security, etc.), the livelihood of its inhabitants still depends on climatic variations and war or political unrest affects 20 of 54 African countries. Bottom line: Poverty kills. Already on 11 September 2001, the September 11th Fund was created in New York. The Fund has now has collected US$ 500 million to assist the families of the terrorist attack victims. This assistance will never bring back their lost and loved ones, but it at least gives the victims a decent possibility of getting on with their lives. This is how it should be and here, the US 9/11 spirit poses a model for everyone. Change of scenery. In April 2002, the World Food Programme (WFP) appealed for US$ 7.5 million to feed 250,000 Mauritanian victims of drought and torrential rain. These 250,000 people had lost their entire livelihood; their land, houses and livestock. Many had also lost their loved ones. One month later, the WFP stated that "the slow pace of donations is holding up WFP's emergency operation in Mauritania." Only a total of US$ 291,000 had been donated to help the 250,000 Mauritanian victims. On 11 September 2002, WFP still has not been able to raise the needed US$ 7.5 million. Already victimised Mauritanians are thus further victimised; forced to move into urban slums and sell off their last personal belongings to be able to feed their family as best they can. The same story is at this very moment unfolding in Angola, where "lack of resources is threatening the agency's ability to cover the growing needs of Angola's hungry." 1.9 million Angolans are in need of WFP's food aid, but only a minority is gaining access to it. Parallel stories can be told from Congo Kinshasa, Liberia, Ethiopia, etc, etc. Humanitarian organisations talk of a "donors' fatigue" as the funds for development and emergency assistance are shrinking from year to year despite of guarantees from the Western world that more funds would be made available. Where is the US' 9/11 spirit when it comes to Africa? It has gone down the drain, unfortunately. And 11 September 2001 only made it worse. Unprecedented funds are now spent on military security, in particular in the US. Trends to focus more on the fight against poverty have been reverted. Kyoto and Johannesburg could have helped, but were stabbed by Washington. If things are not related to Washington's so-called "War against terrorism" - which is alienating more and more of the world's population - financing, or even attention, is ever more difficult to obtain. While the world is mourning the 9/11 victims, an increasing number of Africans therefore are victimised in silence. But these daily 9/11s are avoidable. There are enough resources to create emergency stocks to be donated during food crises. There are enough resources to give Africans decent health and education services. There is however not a will. Not a will to spend resources on Africa's future. Not a will to sacrifice some local employment to let Africans enter US and European markets. Not a will to end African armed conflicts and their roots. Not a will to save the environment African's depend even more on that others. On 11 September, it is therefore only timely to remind a mourning US government that it bears a part of the responsibility that Africa is experiencing 9/11 each and every day. The post-9/11 policies of the Bush administration have even contributed to make the situation worse with its rejection of a forceful fight against poverty, a fight against environmental degradation, a fight against landmines, rejecting to open its market to African products and rejecting to contribute to the UN Population Fond. Each of these rejections equals an 9/11 for Africa. By Rainer Chr. Hennig,
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