Britain worried about renewed fighting in the west

Britain on Wednesday expressed "great concern" over renewed ethnic clashes and killings in western Ethiopia that have claimed scores of lives. International Development Secretary Hilary Benn spoke out on the subject during a four-day visit to Ethiopia after renewed fighting flared up in Gambella region. According to UN and humanitarian officials, at least 40 people have been killed in the latest clashes, which have come just weeks after violence in the border region claimed 150 lives. The government spokesman, Zemedkun Tekle, said the authorities were investigating the fighting in Gambella, but had so far received no accurate reports on casualties. "The current fighting in Gambella - and there has been a further outbreak very recently - is obviously of concern to everybody, including the international community," Benn said. "We have expressed that concern, and there is a US team, as I understand it, there at the moment," he added, speaking in the capital, Addis Ababa. Benn announced a tripling of aid for Ethiopia over three years to US $100 million, but called for an end to the standoff with Eritrea over their common border. "A return to conflict would be in nobody’s interest, and it is vital that it does not happen," he told journalists at a press conference at the British embassy. He also announced an additional credit of $18 million towards overcoming the current crisis in the country, where 7 million people will need food aid this year. Benn noted that enhancing human rights constituted a key factor in Britain’s move to increase aid, most of which would go directly to the government. He said that Britain expected to see progress on the establishment of a human rights commission and an ombudsman to investigate alleged abuses. His comments coincide with international rights watchdogs expressing concern because the coalition government "continues to deny" its citizens basic human rights. "The private press leads a precarious existence, and editors, publishers and reporters are frequently arrested or harassed," Human Rights Watch said. "Torture remains a problem," the New York-based organisation added in a report released last month. "The government recognises it [human rights record] is a problem, and that is a very important starting point," Benn noted. "The government has to demonstrate to people that things are changing and, of course, where there are incidents, they are investigated. And where people have done something, they are brought to account," he stressed. "In the end, it is for the people of Ethiopia to judge whether that progress is being made," he added. Benn, who met Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on Monday, raised the subject of the country’s human rights record and a new scheme to increase land security for farmers. Critics argue that state ownership of land acts as a disincentive to the millions of the country's farmers to invest towards raising their output. The government is introducing a land certification scheme that aims to improve the farmer’s security of tenure by offering ownership for up to 99 years.