Ethiopia aid should have strings attached

THE government of Ethiopia has appealed to international donors of food aid to assist those at risk of starvation. This has perplexed those who remember the same government's recent claim of a bumper harvest.

This claim is now being seen as an exaggeration.

It would be better, in my opinion, to put Addis Ababa's latest request for aid in the context of recurrent diversions of food aid to the Ethiopian military.

This was certainly the case in the 1980s; it may well have been the case during Ethiopia's war against Eritrea in the late 1990s, and it may be about to happen again.

Since the ceasefire that ended the Eritrea-Ethiopia war in 2000, an uneasy peace has prevailed between the two countries.

A boundary commission has demarcated the disputed border region, but Ethiopia has dragged its feet on accepting the commission's findings.

In recent weeks, there have been disturbing signs in the region that Ethiopia may be preparing for a return to war against Eritrea.

Canada's parliament is moving towards making aid for Ethiopia conditional on acceptance of the boundary commission's decision and an end to Ethiopia's hostile posture towards Eritrea. The Irish Government should do the same.

David O'Kane

Delhi Street

Belfast BT73AJ