MSF criticises resettlement programme

A major resettlement programme in southern Ethiopia has been condemned by the aid agency Medicins sans Frontieres (MSF) for sparking a humanitarian crisis. The organisation condemned the move of 15,000 people to Bale zone for “inadequate planning and implementation” and increasing health risks to settlers. Thousands of people were “dumped” along the roadside in Bidre – some 600 km from the capital Addis Ababa, MSF said. In March, the people were transported in trucks from Shewe camp, some 70 km away, where they had sought refugee from the severe drought gripping on the country. But since then, thousands of families were now living under plastic sheeting, with little food and almost no access to water. “The settlers in Bidre are in the mud, sleeping under a piece of plastic in the rain,” said Austen Davis, General Director for MSF. “MSF has serious concerns about the impact of inadequately planned resettlement on the health of the settlers,” he said in a statement. “Respect for settlers requires proper planning and preparation before the resettlement takes place. The situation in Bidre provides an example of how things can go wrong.” MSF says it recognises that the government is trying to improve the situation but says the operation has been hampered by heavy rains and lack of planning. It called for proper planning before any further resettlement programmes were carried out. A massive resettlement programme is underway in Ethiopia, affecting tens of thousands of people. According to the federal government’s own poverty reduction strategy paper, resettlement is a key weapon in combating the country’s long term dependency on food aid. [see also 'Pitfalls of resettlement']