Somalia, Congo Among 'Top 10' World Crises

A soldier walks toward a distribution center on Dec. 19, near Lushubere Camp
in Masisi, northwest of Goma, in Congo.

From MSNBC:

Doctors Without Borders releases annual list on Sunday

NEW YORK - Spiraling violence in Somalia, forced civilian displacements in eastern Congo, and neglected medical emergencies in Myanmar and Zimbabwe were among the Top 10 humanitarian crises of 2008, according to an annual list released Sunday by Doctors Without Borders.

Other crises on the group's list included: malnutrition, which claims 5 million young lives across the globe each year; HIV-tuberculosis co-infections, killing some 1.7 million people annually; fighting in Pakistan's tribal areas; the politicization of aid distribution in Iraq; violence and harsh climatic conditions in southeastern Ethiopia's Somali region; and the continuing Darfur crisis and civil war in Sudan.

"With the release of this list, we hope to focus much needed attention on the millions of people who are trapped in conflict and war, affected by medical crises, whose immediate and essential health needs are neglected, and whose plight often goes unnoticed," Dr. Christophe Fournier, the group's International Council President, said in a statement.

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My Comment: The list is comprehensive, and I will not disagree with its choices. I would have highlighted the drug war in Mexico, and I would have have pointed out the conflict in the Caucasus as being a situation that is ongoing.