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Ethiopia Is Said to Block Food to Rebel Region - New York Times

Ethiopia Is Said to Block Food to Rebel Region - New York Times
NAIROBI, Kenya, July 21 — "The Ethiopian government is blockading emergency food aid and choking off trade to large swaths of a remote region in the eastern part of the country that is home to a rebel force, putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk of starvation, Western diplomats and humanitarian officials say."

What is terrorism? Among many interpretations, one has to be counted among the cruelest is: withholding humanitarian aid from people whom suspected of aiding the rebel movements thereby starving them to death. Mengistu used it in the 1980’s against the people of Eritrea and Tigreans. (The Ethiopia leaders now are Tigreans). Fate had it, when Mengistu fled Ethiopia, the new tyrants came who were then complaining Mengistu’s starvation of their Tigrean people. Now they are starving the Ogaden people in the same fashion. Ethiopia is as though it is cursed. This article I have found in .pdf format talks about among others how Mengistu withholding food from rebel areas (from Eritreans and Tigrean).
“Drought and consequent famine in the north of Ethiopia between 1972 and 1975 had devastating effects. The effects of this famine of the early 1970’s lingered, with drought again appearing in the late 1970’s. In the early 1980’s, many parts of Ethiopia were experiencing famine. In 1984, it became obvious that the government was unable to respond to the crisis, as fighting in and around Eritrea compounded the food security problems. After continuing drought in 1985, famine had spread throughout Ethiopia by 1986, despite food relief efforts. Further damage was done that year by locust plagues. At this time, there was much condemnation of the Mengistu’s policy of withholding food from rebel areas. Forcible relocation of more than half a million people was the main government response to famine. It is believed that tens of thousands of people died as
a result of forced resettlement. Villagization, the relocation of people into planned villages, which were situated around the primary resources (food and water, health and education), was practiced: however much of the promised resources were not delivered
within the villages.”

full article in pdf format can be found here. It talks about eradicating world famine, and untangling the messy web of ethnic conflict.

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