Government calls on donors to expedite food deliveries

The Ethiopian government on Saturday called on the international community to deliver the food aid it has pledged to "avert the looming danger" of drought. The call comes just days after Prime Minister Meles Zenawi urged donors to provide more assistance to Ethiopia, as the country struggles to tackle its food crisis. Ethiopia is currently reeling from an unprecedented drought in which one in five of the impoverished population is facing starvation. An enormous aid operation was launched last year to tackle the crisis, and some 1.5 million mt of food aid - costing some US $800 million - is needed. But so far, according to a statement released by the information ministry, only just over half the grain pledged has been received. The ministry said 11.9 million quintals (some 1.19 million mt) of grain had been pledged for the emergency, but some 5.4 million quintals was yet to be received. It went on to say that because of the worsening situation, the country was facing an additional deficit of 3.4 million quintals. "The timely dispatch of the pledged relief aid and the swift response to the latest appeal are indispensable to saving the lives of millions affected by the drought," the government said in its statement. "The government therefore appeals once again to the international donor community to release their pledged emergency aid and to come up with a timely humanitarian response to the latest appeal so as to avert the looming danger," the ministry added. Currently, donors borrow against the Ethiopian government’s food reserve and replace it when the food comes into the country. So far, there has been no break in the crucial food pipeline.