More aid needed - Meles, NGOs

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has said the international response to the drought affecting the country is inadequate. Although he welcomed food pledges from “some donors” he said that promised aid was still not enough to cover the needs of families hit by crop failures. “The response so far has been partially encouraging,” he told a news conference, adding that Ethiopia was facing a “very serious drought” - comparable to 1999 when tens of thousands of people died. He spoke out as leading non-governmental organisations (NGOs) launched an attack on the European Union and western governments for failing to do more to help victims of the drought. In a joint statement the charities - Save the Children UK, Pathfinder Ethiopia, CARE, Save the Children US Ethiopia, Oxfam GB, Catholic Relief Services, Christian Aid, and Action Aid - said that European countries were not doing enough to help the six million people who have been affected by the drought. Aid agencies working in Ethiopia say that food aid will run out unless more is received. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) estimates a 235,000 mt shortfall by the end of the year. “We think that it is not acceptable in the 21st century that people anywhere on the globe can perish as a result of known natural disasters, when there is sufficient time for the international community to respond,” the charities said in a joint statement. “We call on all donors, and especially the European Union and the UK government, to respond urgently to these needs in Ethiopia,” they added.