Did Live Aid buy Ethiopia tanks and jets?

HAVING read the article on Somalia (Irish Examiner, January 2), I was amazed and annoyed to find that the country is being backed by Ethiopia in its conflict with Islamic militants.

It wasn’t the fact that Ethiopia is helping Somalia that irked so much but the fact that it helps with well armed troops, tanks and even MiG fighter jets.

Was it so long ago that the people of the world dug deep into their pockets for Live Aid to help the starving and impoverished people of that very country?

Is Ethiopia now so well off that it can afford multi-million dollar jets so that we don’t need the Troóaire boxes at lent anymore?

Or is it that we were funding this country’s armies all along?

We can send aid and food to these people forever but I think the solution lies elsewhere to these problems.

The warlords and criminals running these countries need to be taken down — and I don’t think Bob Geldof is the man to do this, well meaning though he is.

Denis Bowen

14 Galtee Avenue

Glenmore

Caherdavin

Limerick