Starvation in Ethiopia: the Clock Is Ticking

Hundreds of people soon will begin to die from starvation in Eritrea and Tigray if the Ethiopian government, the rebel movements and the international community cannot reach a compromise that will allow more food to enter the country. Only international pressure for an immediate cease-fire and a negotiated settlement can stop this all-too-likely specter of mass famine from becoming reality within the next month.

At least 3 million people in Ethiopia’s northern regions are at risk. About 700,000 metric tons of food is needed to keep them alive through the end of the year. Although some relief food is getting in through cross-border operations and overland from the port of Assab, additional entry points are critically necessary.

The Red Sea port of Massawa is the only entry point with the capacity to receive the huge quantities of food needed to stave off famine. Massawa was captured in February by the Eritrea People’s Liberation Front and is the target of a counter-offensive by Ethiopian government forces, which have been bombing the port city indiscriminately.

International donors cannot ship relief food into a battle zone, so the port is effectively closed. Other means, including airlifts to both government and rebel-held areas and repairs to roads and bridges, can increase food supplies, but Massawa is the key to saving millions of lives.

The United States and the Soviet Union, which pledged their cooperation at the summit, must take a stronger, active leadership role, working with the European countries and Israel, to bring the issues of peace and relief to the forefront of the international agenda.

The picture is clear. Those who suffer most are the peasants, the small farmers, women, children and the elderly. Make no mistake, the cause of the present famine emergency is not drought, although severe drought--worse than in 1984--occurred in northern Ethiopia last year. The causes of this famine are primarily man-made: war and policies that impede production and perpetuate poverty.

The television-watching world has become desensitized to images of starving Ethiopian children. International relief organizations are experiencing “donor fatigue”. The Ethiopian government and the warring factions have pushed their country to the brink of disaster so many times that the international community’s compassion and patience are wearing thin. Neither side is above using the threat of starvation as a bargaining chip for political gain. An interim cease-fire to allow safe passage of food would have to be followed promptly by a negotiated solution to prevent the situation from repeating itself.

The Soviet Union, which has considerable influence in Ethiopia, and the United States together must rally support to avert another wave of mass starvation and bring peace to that long-suffering land.