Two weeks after the United Nations launched an emergency appeal for food aid for impoverished Niger, no funds have been pledged, the world body said on Thursday. "To date, not a single dollar has been pledged to the flash appeal," the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs told reporters. The effort, launched May 19, sought $16.2 million from governments to help feed 3.6 million people in need of aid after a locust infestation and recurring drought in the western African country. Among the needy are 800,000 children under age 5, including 150,000 who suffer from severe malnutrition. "A silent crisis is looming in Niger," the U.N. office was quoted as saying by Reuters last month. "All indicators point towards increased poverty due to population increases, desertification, locust infestations and rain shortfalls." Niger, with a population of about 12 million and an average life expectancy of 46 years, ranks as one of the world's least developed, lowest-income countries. Niger's government has a mechanism to combat food crises, but its available stocks and funds already have been used to meet current needs, the U.N. office said. --SP 2308 Local Time 2008 GMT
