Thoughts on the BBC Allegations and Ethiopia's Response

USAID food aid in Ethiopia. (Photo Source)

By: Samuel M. Gebru

August 9, 2011

Before articulating my thoughts on Ethiopia’s response to BBC’s allegations, I would like to share my thoughts on BBC’s allegations:

1. I have some serious concerns about the legitimacy of the August 5 BBC article, Ethiopia 'using aid as weapon of oppression'. Its not a new claim, the BBC made a similar allegation in 2010, in which it was forced to apologize to the Government of Ethiopia for wrong allegations regarding the EPRDF's misuse of food aid during the Ethiopian Civil War.

2. I highly doubt that there is a systematic oppression of food aid and believe that in many cases throughout the developing world, local level officials and ruling party loyalists, who often operate without much oversight, abuse power.

3. I think it would be absurd to say that no abuse of food aid happens in Ethiopia but the claim that it is systemic is quite unsubstantiated. One cannot indict an entire federal government for the serious abuse of power by neighborhood and municipal officials that, in most cases, are in very rural and remote areas with very limited oversight by state and federal officials.

4. The Development Assistance Group of Ethiopia (DAG Ethiopia), which includes all of the head representatives of Ethiopia's donor partners in Addis Ababa, conducted its own investigation into previous allegations made by BBC and Human Rights Watch and concluded that there were no systematic abuses of food aid. Keep in mind, DAG Ethiopia released this report not only during the time of allegations made by BBC and HRW but also at a time when their respective governments were increasing aid to Ethiopia. I find it extremely hard to believe that DAG Ethiopia's member governments would increase aid to Ethiopia while their own countries were suffering budget changes and worsening economic problems unless they knew where their money was going and could substantiate it for the most part.

5. The journalistic integrity of the BBC team that went to Ethiopia undercover and illegally conducted their reporting in the Ogaden region failed to mention that the area itself is a war zone and that the Ethiopian military is actively engaging in a long-winded fight against a rebel movement that has openly admitted to terrorism.

I have, however, read a press release by the Embassy of Ethiopia to the United Kingdom published August 5 regarding the recent BBC article on the alleged usage of international food aid as a weapon of oppression. Here are some brief thoughts:

1. I agree that the timing of this report is quote opportunistic on the part of the BBC. It exploits the serious drought and famine in the Horn of Africa and serves a political purpose.

2. The article was indeed unbalanced, particularly with regards to reporting on the ONLF and OLF. The press release does a good job discrediting both rebel organizations.

3. Appropriately, the press release mentioned that BBC correspondents have received visas to Ethiopia on many occasions. This is important as it gives context to discredit the necessity for clandestine investigations. There are many foreign reporters that go to Ethiopia legally and write negative stories already.

4. The press release makes a heavy statement that Ethiopia "refutes absolutely the allegation that there is a policy or practice of extra-judicial killings, arbitrary arrest and routine torture by the police, prison officers and other members of the security services and the military." This is quite the statement to make and frankly, it is not convincing. Even in states where democratic traditions are thriving and have long been held, there are documented evidences of the aforementioned occurring. It is truly concerning to state that there are "absolutely" no extra-judicial killings, arbitrary arrests or torture going on in Ethiopia, a democracy in its infancy. It may be that at an institutional level the Government of Ethiopia and the Ethiopian National Defense Force do not condone killings, arbitrary arrests and torture, but at a local level an absolute claim cannot be made or substantiated.

5. The press release states that only some international NGOs and the ONLF are making statements regarding inhumane treatment. However, need I remind the Embassy of Ethiopia in London that due to Ethiopia's revised Charities and Societies Proclamation many local human rights organizations were forced to shut down due to lack of funding? Even the Development Assistance Group Ethiopia (DAG Ethiopia), an international consortium of 26 multilateral and bilateral governmental donors, expressed serious concern about the potential negative impact of this January 2009 law on Ethiopia's civil society. What would in fact help the press release is if independent and local Ethiopian human rights groups were able to corroborate.