Important New York Times Articles This Week

I'd like to draw your attention to two articles that appeared in the New York Times this week.

The first, "Study Finds Pattern of Severe Droughts in Africa," describes scientists' recent documentation of recurring, centuries-long megadroughts in Africa.  These droughts are both unavoidable and unpredictable.  The last such drought ended in 1750, after lasting about 300 years.  Megadroughts are primarily a problem in West Africa, an area known to be significantly drier than other parts of the continent.

The second article, "Plan Tries to Lower Malaria Drug Cost," details a new plan to provide the most effective malaria medication at a low cost to people in developing countries.  The program, beginning with a budget of $225 million, will pressure drug companies to reduce the private-sector price of the drug from $4 to $1 and will use donor funds to pay $0.95 of the cost.  With a wholesale price of $0.05, the retail price in poor countries should be around $0.20.  International health organizations, non-profit organizations, and several European countries are backing the plan, but the U.S. has yet to offer support for it.

An Inside Look at Darfur's Rebels

Today's Los Angeles Times offers readers an up-close look at rebels in Sudan's Jebel Marra Mountains.  In "Darfur Rebels Make Their Stand Above the Fray," Edmund Sanders describes his trip to a place no journalist has visited in seven months.

A rebelled-controlled area, things are better in the mountains than in the rest of Darfur.  Those who live here are isolated from the rest of the country, and many of the rebels don't dare leave for fear of being attacked, but they agree it's a better than the other option - living in internally-displaced persons camps and being entirely dependent on foreign aid.

Economic Crisis Causes Job Loss in Africa

The global economic crisis has brought a decline in demand for many commodities, which has forced factories to close and caused people to lose their jobs.

A recent Washington Post article illustrates the problem with an example from Zambia: an Indian-owned copper mine near the town of Luanshya currently employs 12,000 people, and locals describe the town as "fully dependent" on it.  However, it's going to have to cut 1,100 jobs to reduce costs.  Other mines across the country have already closed.  People in other countries are feeling the same problem: decreases in demand for Botswana's diamonds, Chad's oil, and Tanzania's cotton are also forcing people out of jobs.