Madam, - I have read in your paper a series of articles written from Ethiopia by Mr Paul Cullen about the severe drought that has struck the countries of the Horn of Africa. It is not my intention to dwell at length on every issue raised in those articles, but I am compelled to respond particularly to your Editorial of April 29th ("Vulnerable Ethiopia") and the article entitled, "A rain that brings no relief", on the same date.
About 1.7 million Ethiopians need emergency food aid, as do a great number of Kenyans, Somalians, Eritreans and Djiboutanians, as a direct result of the severe drought that has swept across the Horn of Africa. While recognising the need for international assistance and appreciating the contribution of those governments and NGOs which respond, it is also important to recognise and respect the efforts of the Ethiopian government, and countless Ethiopian individuals and organisations in not only combating the effects of the drought but in consistently working to reduce poverty and transform the Ethiopian economy.
Contrary to your reporting, spending on defence in Ethiopia has declined in real terms from 13 per cent during the war with Eritrea to 3.5 per cent of GDP in 2003/4. Spending on poverty sectors, as reported by the World Bank, has increased from 27.9 per cent of total expenditure in 1999/2000 to 57.1 per cent in 2004/5.
The persistent belittling of my government's drought management, along with unfounded, stereotypical statements about corruption, is both inaccurate and highly regrettable at a time when we are struggling to feed our drought-affected people.
International donors have no reason for concern about usage of humanitarian assistance. On the contrary, the United Nations Special Humanitarian Envoy, Kjell Bondevik, in his visit to Ethiopia on April 28th noted that, "Ethiopia is known for its disaster response systems and in many ways is moving more quickly than some of its neighbours to address food security issues. Given the regional nature of this crisis in the Horn of Africa, it is important to look at what lessons and expertise it can pass on".
Another striking issue is the continual portrayal of Ethiopia as the aggressor in the Ethiopian-Eritrean war, despite all the evidence, to the contrary, including your own Government's loss of materials donated to Ethiopia when Eritrea invaded in 1998. The International Eritrea Ethiopia Claims Commission confirmed in December 2005 that "Eritrea violated Article 2, paragraph 4, of the charter of the United Nations by resorting to armed force". This should have been enough to finally put this myth to bed?
- Yours, etc,
GOITOM KAHSAY, Chargé d'affaires a.i., Ethiopian Embassy, Dublin 2.