Donors "reluctant" to give food aid

The Ethiopian government has accused the international community of “reluctance” in responding to the severe drought that has hit the country. “The latest reports reaching here from parts of the country warn that people are dying of starvation,” the government said in a statement released at the weekend. “We would like to stress here that if the food aid does not come soon and on time, the worst humanitarian crisis is sure to unfold.” The statement, released through the ministry of information, said the government was trying to tackle the drought but blamed “donor fatigue” for the poor response. It said international organisations had been shown the severity on the ground, adding that this drought was “the worst ever encountered”. According to humanitarian organisations and the government, some 14 million people will need food aid next year. By March the country will need 100,000 mt of food aid a month. “The reluctance of the donor communities to respond in time with aid packages adequate to avert the disaster has made the situation extremely worrying,” the government statement said. “It has become apparent that without swift food aid many people will die," it warned. Ethiopian rebel movements accused the government of "neglecting to give proper attention and consideration to the food security of the country". "Undoubtedly the famine we see now is the product of maladministration and bad political culture and not of natural cause," said a joint statement by the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) and the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). It accused the government of "a culture of misusing the food aid for its political objectives". "We call on the donor community, governments and international organisations to deliver all assistance directly to the famine victims and give close attention to the views and ideas of the opposition organisations," the statement said.