Famine once again stalks the Horn of Africa. The rains have failed and over 10 million people are suffering food shortages in Ethiopia. Another five million are under threat in neighbouring countries. This is more than twice the numbers who were affected by the disastrous famine of 1984.
That catastrophe gave rise to the Live Aid phenomenon and made Ethiopia synonymous in Western eyes with massive suffering.
Yet before succumbing to pessimism, it is worth noting how many things have improved since then. Ethiopia is a much better-run country than it was in the days of the Mengistu regime, and its communications and logistics have improved greatly. The international community has learned by bitter experience how to ward off mass famine on the scale then seen.
So this crisis is manageable. Access for emergency supplies should be less of a problem than in the past. This time, the Government is aware of the problem, even to the extent of overstating its scale.
However, the world, weary of hearing bad news in Africa and with its focus on the war against terrorism, has been slow to respond to calls for help. United Nations agencies say they have only received a fraction of the aid needed. Unless more help is forthcoming, emergency supplies will run out in January. It is to be hoped that Ireland will lead efforts to encourage greater generosity from donors.
Once it has dealt with the immediate crisis, the international community needs to focus on the longer-term causes of famine in Africa. Ethiopia's disastrous war with Eritrea has played its part; large areas of the border region cannot be farmed because of unexploded landmines and conscription has depleted the agricultural workforce. There is little incentive for farmer investment under a tenure system that sees most land owned by the government.
But what about the West's role in the formation of this crisis? What are the factors causing Africa's harsh climate to become even harsher? Why has aid to Africa dropped by over one-third in the past decade? Ethiopia's main cash crop, coffee, has slumped in price, and high import tariffs imposed by the EU and the US have contributed to this. Many Africans survive each day on the same amount of money that Europeans pay to subsidise their cattle. Meanwhile, the US is building up a military hub in Djibouti, whose port is the lifeline for the food arriving to feed millions of Ethiopians. Surely some of this investment could be diverted to help relieve the immediate crisis.