British aid denied to Ethiopia’s most needy

London, 22 Oct-(ANA)-British aid to Ethiopia is being denied to people in need, according to a Human Rights Watch report that accuses the Department for International Development (DfID) of failing to safeguard its £7.8 billion budget.

 Britain provides more than half of all international contributions to Ethiopia's £2 billion a year national work-for-food scheme .

 Meles Zenawi, the country’s prime minister, had used a DfID-backed scheme to reward loyalty to his regime and punish dissidents who refused to support his government, the report said.

 Voters who backed the opposition were being denied food aid, fertilisers, loans and health care by officials who demanded support for the ruling party.

 Human Rights Watch said that DfID was foremost among international organisations that had turned a blind eye to abuse of the aid schemes. Other aid agencies said British officials were uniquely powerful in Addis Ababa but were blocking demands for reform. “We all have problems with DfID,” said a European aid official. “We are at the opposite end of the scale on many issues.”

A DfID spokesman said the allegations had been investigated but no evidence had been found.

 Meanwhile, the Ethiopian government has attacked Human Rights Watch, accusing it of waging a campaign against its reputation.

“The allegations made by Human Rights Watch simply do not reflect reality,” it said. “Indeed this would appear to be an attempt by Human Rights Watch to blackmail the international community as part of its ongoing vendetta against the government of Ethiopia.” (ANA)

FA/ANA/22 October 2010-------------------