The humanitarian relief organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders) recently released their annual list of “Top Ten Humanitarian Crises of 2008.”
MSF said that many aid organizations are finding it increasingly difficult to help the world’s most vulnerable people due to heightened security risks in “hazardous and threatening environments.” Making the list were the acute humanitarian situations in Somalia, eastern Congo, Sudan, places where aid workers have come under direct attack or faced significant obstacles in delivering relief supplies to ailing populations amidst ongoing violence.
MSF also noted:
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.
Indeed, the important work of organizations such as MSF highlights the need to continue lifesaving assistance to people in conflict-stricken regions throughout the world. At the same time, commitment by the international community to working for political solutions to these crises is an essential step in promoting increased security and long-term stability for people in Somalia, Congo, Sudan, and beyond.