United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan arrived on Tuesday in Niger to ”see for myself” the impact of a devastating famine in the largely desert West African country after the United Nations was accused of bungling aid action. He said he would discuss with Prime Minister Hama Amadou measures to deal with the massive crisis gripping one of the world’s poorest nations.
Poverty and cultural traditions in Niger lead thousands of young women to give birth without medical supervision which exposes them to often irreparable scars. ”Giving birth is women’s work, and these girls are children,” said Lucien Djangnikpo, a physician and director of a maternity centre in Zinder, a city in southeast Niger.