Recently, the September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows stated “War and Starvation Won’t Bring Peace.”
These family members of victims of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States has lived through the worst trauma. But they have also seen that war will not bring it to an end. As we remember the anniversary of 9/11, we need to be thinking of building peace so no one experiences the horror of terrorism again.
As long as there is war and hunger, terrorism will have a chance to thrive amid the chaos. Only a world of nonviolence and ensuring human rights can effectively stop terrorism.
The September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows is right in saying the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza must end. Continuing the war and hunger in Gaza will only lead to more violence and suffering.
The group stated recently “We call on all parties involved to implement an immediate ceasefire, end the blockade so resources can reach Gaza’s starving population, and a return of all hostages.”
Each of us, as we remember 9/11, can do something to bring about a world without war and starvation. We must speak out against war and remind people of the horrors of conflict. Forever wars do not bring about peace.
We must do more to stop the hunger that results from war. There are so many nations reeling from hunger and poverty caused by years of conflict. Gaza and Sudan are suffering in famine.
Even when the fighting ends, hunger can linger for years and even become a source of new conflict. People competing for scarce resources may turn to violence. And hunger can drive people to desperation, even to join a terror group.
Think of how many times a terrorist group emerges in a war-torn, impoverished land. We know the history of war, hunger and desperation in Afghanistan, which was home to the Al Qaeda terrorist group that launched the 9/11 attacks.
The latest Global Terrorism Index report says “The Sahel region remains terrorism’s epicentre, accounting for over half of all global terrorism deaths.” The countries in the Sahel region of Africa are devastated by conflict and extreme hunger. In addition to Sudan, Sahel nations Mali and Burkina Faso are high on the World Food Program’s list of hunger hotspots.
Sadly, this year we have seen the dramatic scaling back of humanitarian aid at a time when there are numerous hunger emergencies. The Sahel region in particular is seeing many relief operations with severe funding shortages. Afghanistan, which just suffered a massive earthquake, is very low on funding for relief. Syria, Yemen, Congo and so many other nations are low on hunger relief donations.
The United States should be boosting the Food for Peace program started by President Dwight Eisenhower to combat hunger. We need to be giving hope for peace and sometimes a package of food can make the difference.
We need to be sending more food to starving nations and help them build their agriculture. American farms are a major part of the Food for Peace plan and benefit as well. Each of us can remind our elected officials of the urgency to feed the hungry in war-torn lands.
Far more resources are spent on wars than on food for the hungry. We need to change this if we are to have a peaceful world, free from conflict and terrorism.
The best way we can honor the victims of 9/11 is to be thinking of how we can win a just peace where no one suffers terrorism again. We must try to end war and starvation.
William Lambers is an author who partnered with the UN World Food Program on the book “Ending World Hunger.” His writings have been published by the Washington Post, Newsweek, History News Network, and many other news outlets.