For the past two years, Lebanon has been in the midst of an economic collapse and Layal Aswad, a resident of Beirut, says the prices of energy and food are rising higher than ever.
“Even bread is not something we take for granted anymore,” said Aswad.
Conflict in the region over the past few years, has displaced and impoverished millions of people in the Middle East. The Russia-Ukraine war is about to put even further strain on food supplies, as a third of the world’s wheat and grain comes from the area.
The Middle East was already beginning to starve before the war in Ukraine began – due to covid restrictions and supply chain issues – now the situation is about to get much worse.
Lama Fakih – the Middle East and North Africa Director at Human Rights Watch said, “Put simply, people cannot afford food of the quality or quantity that they need, with those in conflict- and crisis-affected countries … at greatest risk.”
Similar food and supply shortages triggered uprisings in 2010 known as the Arab Spring – famously engineered by George Soros, the Globalist billionaire agitator.
Managing director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva noted, “When prices jump, and poor people cannot feed their families, they will be on the streets,”
“People have a right to food, and governments should do everything in their power to protect that right, otherwise we risk not only food insecurity but the insecurity and instability that gross deprivation on this scale could trigger,” Fakih said.
The Middle East relies heavily on international aid, but with 3.7 million people fleeing the Ukrainian war, Europe is in no position to help and other Western nations are struggling with their own economic problems.
“For the millions of Palestinians, Lebanese, Yemenis, Syrians, and others who live in countries experiencing conflict, catastrophic economic meltdowns, and increasing humanitarian needs, this would be equivalent to shutting down critical life support,” according to an analysis released by Carnegie Middle East experts.
Over 14.6 million Syrians rely on assistance from various charitable groups, and the number is steadily rising according to Joyce Msuya, the assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs at the United Nations.
Basic needs are not being met in Yemen, and the U.N along with other international aid groups have estimated more than 160,000 people are about to experience famine-like conditions in 2022. An appeal run by the U.N only managed to raise less than a third of what was needed – $1.3 billion.
In Lebanon, panic is starting to creep into the population as supplies dwindle and prices climb. Grain silos were destroyed in an explosion in Beirut in 2020, adding to Lebanon’s woes.
“Whatever is put on shelves is being bought,” said Hani Bohsali, head of the food importers syndicate.
He added that over 60 percent of the country’s cooking oil comes from Ukraine and Russia.
“This is not a small problem,” he said. Bohsali noted that they are looking to other countries to boost supplies. A 5 liter bottle of cooking oil is now around $29 – more than the monthly minimum wage.
“We are back to the Stone Age, stocking up on candles and things like toast and Picon (a processed cheese brand) in case we run out of everything,” Aswad said.
The sad part of this story is the worst is yet to come. Several hundred years ago a man named Robert Malthus addressed this issue concluding that population at some point would exceed the ability to produce enough food. The “agriculture revolution” from the US postponed that time. When I was a boy the world population was 3 billion. Today? Around 8 billion!!!! Throughout the world soils are weakening from intensive use. You finish the story.
you are so right. the fatal conceit is believing due to our superior intelligence natural resources are no longer an issue. with world war 3 looming we are stuck with a nincompoop in the white house.