Ethiopia refutes size-reports on emergency aid needy

By Tesfa-alem TeKle

October 7, 2009 (ADDIS ABABA) — Ethiopia’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has refuted the reports by international Medias on the current number of people in need of emergency aid assistance as “Bogus”.

“The actual number of people who currently are in need of urgent humanitarian aid in Ethiopia are 5.3 million” The Ministry said in a statement adding “Some international Medias wrongly are putting this figure at 13 Million by adding the 7.3 Million people who are being benefiting under the safety net program”.

The Agriculture ministry stressed the safety net program has its own separate objectives, different from an emergency aid action, and the people embraced under the safety program must not be counted along with the number of people addressed for urgent aid.

The ministry further said that government is currently providing every necessary assistant to the affected people.

Oxfam has put the number of Ethiopians who need urgent aid at 6.2 Million.

The international humanitarian group said that pastoralist communities in the country’s southern Borena area are the worst hit due severe drought. The aid group has begun providing assistance to the most affected, in the Oromiya and Tigray regions of the country.

Last week Oxfam warned that drought is threatening some 23 Million people in seven countries of the East African region; driving the most vulnerable people of the region in to sever hunger and malnutrition.

It warned that with prices on food still hiking, the crises might be worsening unless urgent assistance is provided.

Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda are reported to have been worse affected by the latest wave of drought.

(ST)