Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) was our guest on Newsmakers this week. He talked about the famine in Somalia and the tensions between Sudan and the newly independent South Sudan.
Rep. Smith chairs the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Africa. He told Newsmakers that the famine in Somalia "needs much more focus on the part of world leaders, including President Obama. We have people dying and there needs to be a much more focused effort and global leadership on the part of the U.S. Or we’ll have more massive loss of life”
Smith advocated for a continuation of U.S. aid to the region, arguing that the amount of money is small compared to the overall size of the federal budget.
He said that the famine in Somalia is being compounded because there are violent "gangs...using food as a weapon." He urged the African Union to get involved to protect the ability of aid groups to distribute food, saying that he didn't think the U.S. would be willing to commit its own troops to the effort.
On Sudan, Rep. Smith discussed the role of China in trading weapons for minerals and oil resources. He again urged the involvement of the African Union and United Nations in helping to establish "corridors of tranquility" - buffer zones where civilians can go to receive aid and shelter without fear of getting caught in the fighting.
Rep. Smith also said that situation in South Sudan was becoming a genocide and that Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir should be tried for war crimes.
The New Jersey Republican credited his Catholic faith with motivating him to pursue humanitarian issues.
Newsmakers airs Sunday at 10:00 am ET and again at 6:00 pm ET on C‑SPAN.