Ethiopian malnutrition claims 'completely fabricated'

Australian Broadcasting Corp. ^ | June 15, 2008

[HAL9000]

The Ethiopian Government has described as a fabrication a statement by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), that six million children need urgent help to save them from malnutrition.

In a report last month, UNICEF blamed the malnutrition on poverty in areas of severe drought.

The report received widespread international attention at the time and prompted calls for action.

But Health Minister Tewodros Adhanom says UNICEF's estimate is exaggerated.

"The total affected is 4.5 million population. How can you have six million children out of 4.5 million total affected during drought?" he said.

"[This] doesn't make any sense. So the six million children issue is completely exaggerated, it's actually a fabrication."

The head of UNICEF in Ethiopia, Bjorn Ljungqvist, denies causing the confusion.

[HAL9000]

Ethiopia is cooperating closely with the United States in several areas that are important to our national interests, so this situation should be watched - and we should be prepared to take action if necessary.

[JerseyHighlander]

The baksheesh skim on 1.5 million phantom food aid recipients... must be staggering. No doubt the people who “researched” and wrote the UNICEF report are on the take, the question is, how far up the UNICEF ladder and how far afield in the UNICEF supplier network, did this scandal reach?

[lainie]

To me, this is interesting in two ways. One, the gov’t there is willing to call the lie a lie; two, they’re not unwilling to keep their mouths shut. It’s easier to bite the hand that feeds when it’s not feeding you?

But what action are you suggesting we take?

[rabscuttle385]

Starvin' Marvin could not be reached for comment.

[HAL9000]

If they’re facing a famine situation, I’m suggesting that we need to be prepared to deliver relief on an expedited basis. And it is worthwhile to make some investments in their long-term development, like sustainable agriculture.

[lainie]

I don’t disagree, but if this were to happen, it’d be in spite of the millions hawked and spent during all of the various celebrity ‘famine relief’ efforts from the 1980’s til now. Is there a leader strong enough to take that on?

[HAL9000]

I believe we're working closely with Ethiopia's military, so hopefully the leadership issues are sorted out.

The main thing the U.S. and Ethiopia have been working on is Somalia.

[endthematrix]

United Nations relief agencies and the Ethiopian
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today that more than $325 million is now needed to meet aid demands – nearly five times the $68 million that authorities and aid officials estimated was required just two months ago.

Also a plan is floated for the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces in Somalia and the deployment of more than 28,000 U.N. peacekeeping troops to succeed the current African Union mission.