The agency cited double standards as the reason why Africa was being short-changed. Kosovo has shown that when the world wants to deal with a humanitarian crisis it can mobilise massive resources and the political will. We are not expecting NATO to scramble to every African crisis. But what we are calling for is that the world should not treat Africans as second class citizens.
Diplomacy has to be backed up by action.
Securing the August peace deal in the Democratic Republic of Congo needs 25,000 UN peacekeepers by the end of December. So far only South Africa has offered 800 troops. These countries share appallingly high child death rates that are exacerbated by long-running wars. Their natural wealth has been squandered in the pursuit of war and they all need immediate humanitarian assistance. This table represents Oxfam's estimates.