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From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Mon Aug 15 2011 - 07:32:10 EDT
http://politiken.dk/newsinenglish/ECE1361529/eritrea-criticises-danish-fundraiser/
Forsiden 15. aug. 2011 KL. 08.30
Eritrea criticises Danish fundraiser
Eritrea denies famine
The Danish broadcasting corporation DR and TV2 are to join forces later this
month in a fundraiser for famine-hit areas around the Horn of Africa.
“Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Eritrea and Djibouti need emergency aid,” the two
channels said in a joint news release Friday – but one of the countries has
responded with a more or less – ‘Thanks, but no thanks’.
“I fail to understand why they insist on including Eritrea. Other countries
around the Horn of Africa have been out saying that they need help. We have
not, because there is neither a famine nor drought in Eritrea. It’s
raining!” Chargé D’Affaires Yonas Manna at the Nordic Eritrean embassy in
Stockholm tells Berlingske.
The media relations officer at the embassy adds: “The Eritrean government
has had a clear policy for decades. We manage with our own resources. We
work for our food, and if we run into problems feeding our own population,
we will ask for help. At the moment, we do not need food aid, so thanks but
no thanks,” says Sirak Bahlibi.
The embassy’s view is also borne out by the latest update from the World
Food Programme, which is coordinating the humanitarian effort around the
Horn of Africa, and which does not mention Eritrea at all.
UNICEF host
UNICEF, which is to host the DR/TV2 programme at its facility in Copenhagen
says that the main effort is for Kenya and Somalia. The two countries will
receive 80 or 90 per cent of money from the fundraiser.
“But Eritrea is included. Mostly as a preventive measure and in order to
make sure the country does not come into the same situation,” says
Secretary-General Steen Andersen.
Andersen adds that Eritrea is included because there are problems which
suggest that the situation there may develop.
Asked what will happen now that the Eritrean authorities say they do not
have a problem, Andersen says: “It means that we must have a discussion to
see whether we agree. But if they are right, then obviously we won’t be
forcing emergency aid where it is not needed. Particularly when it is needed
so badly elsewhere”.
Edited by Julian Isherwood
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