In Haiti, at least four people have died during protests over the rising price of food. The prices of rice, beans and fruit have gone up by 50 percent in Haiti over the last year. The protests began on Thursday and continued over the weekend.

Similar food riots have been occurring across Africa in recent weeks. In Burkina Faso, a nationwide strike has been called for Tuesday. Food riots have also been reported in Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mauritania and Senegal. Last week, African finance ministers warned that the rise in international food prices “poses significant threats to Africa’s growth, peace and security.” In Sierra Leone the cost of rice has risen by 300 percent.

Last month, the World Food Program issued an urgent appeal for an additional $500 million. Bettina Luescher of the World Food Program says the enormous spike in food prices is caused by a variety of factors.

Bettina Luescher: “I think what we are facing is a perfect storm. More and more people are going hungry and need food aid. At the same time, we’ve got the lowest food reserves in some thirty years on the markets. At the same time, prices have gone up tremendously, sometimes doubled in the last few months, and you’ve got climate change with less harvest, droughts, floods. So the situation is really critical, and we have to act now. We cannot waste time. We have to act now.”