By ANITA POWELL
SHASHAMANE, Ethiopia (AP) — Like so many other victims of Ethiopia’s hunger crisis, Usheto Beriso weighs just half of what he should. He is always cold and swaddled in a blanket. His limbs are stick-thin.
Six year old malnourished Tariken
Lakamu waits for food aid , June 6,
2008 in the southern Ethiopian town
of Shashamane. This year’s food
crisis, brought on by a countrywide
drought and skyrocketing global food
prices, is far less severe, with an
estimated 4.5 million people nationwide
in need of emergency food aid.
(AP Photo/Anita Powell)
But Usheto is not the typical face of Ethiopia’s chronic food problems, the scrawny baby or the ailing toddler. At age 55, he is among a growing number of adults and older children — traditionally less-vulnerable groups — who have been stricken by severe hunger due to poor rains and recent crop failure in southern Ethiopia, health workers say.
“To see adults in this condition, it’s a very serious situation,” Mieke Steenssens, a volunteer nurse with Doctors Without Borders, told The Associated Press as she registered the 5-foot-4 Usheto’s weight at just 73 pounds.
Aid groups say the older victims suggest there is an escalation in the crisis in Ethiopia, a country that drew international attention in 1984 when a famine compounded by communist policies killed 1 million people.
This year’s crisis, brought on by a countrywide drought and skyrocketing global food prices, is far less severe. But while figures for how many adults and older children are affected are not available, at least four aid groups interviewed by the AP said they noticed a troubling increase.
“We’re overwhelmed,” said Margaret Aguirre, a spokeswoman for the International Medical Corps, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based aid agency. “There’s not enough food and everyone’s starving, and that’s all there is to it.
“Older children are starting to show the signs of malnutrition when normally they might be able to withstand shocks to the system,” she added. “What’s particularly concerning is that the moderately malnourished are soaring. It’s increasing so much that it means those children are going to slide into severe malnutrition.”
Ethiopia is not alone in suffering through the worldwide food crisis, which is threatening to push the number of hungry people in the world toward 1 billion. Last week, a U.N. summit of 181 countries pledged to reduce trade barriers and boost agricultural production to combat rising food prices.
But in Ethiopia, food production is hampered by drought, meaning the country has been hit with a double blow. Drought is especially disastrous in Ethiopia because more than 80 percent of people live off the land. Agriculture drives the economy, accounting for half of all domestic production and 85 percent of exports.
Sending more food is one solution, but there already is a global crunch as rising fuel prices drive up the cost of fertilizers, farm vehicle use and transport of food to market. Biofuels, which are made from crops such as sugar cane and corn, are another contentious issue, with critics saying they compete with food crops.
The problem is echoed across Africa, from Kenya and Somalia and farther west. Exacerbating the global rise in food prices, which has sparked protests and riots in several West African nations, is an annual decline in food reserves across the high desert-like region called the Sahel, just below the Sahara Desert.
The so-called “lean season” that begins around June is marked by near-empty grain stores, with the next harvest not due until around September. Locust invasions and poor rains in recent years have only worsened the condition, which leads to deadly malnutrition among young children.
Aid agencies in Ethiopia are issuing desperate appeals for donor funding, saying emergency intervention is not enough. Ethiopia receives more food aid than nearly every other country in the world, most of it from the United States, which has provided $300 million in emergency assistance to relief agencies in the past year.
But despite the international help, the country is again facing hunger on a mass scale. Part of the reason, according to John Holmes, the top U.N. humanitarian official, is the country’s climate, chronic drought and the large population of 78 million people.
“The World Food Program feeds some 8 million people already, together with the others in Ethiopia,” he said. “But we may need to increase that, because of drought.”
The U.N. children’s agency has characterized this year’s food shortage — in which an estimated 4.5 million people are in need of emergency food aid — as the worst since 2003, when droughts led 13.2 million people to seek such aid. In 2000, more than 10 million needed emergency food.
Studies by the International Medical Corps in southern Ethiopia — the epicenter of the crisis — show that up to one in four young mothers is showing signs of moderate malnutrition.
Ethiopia’s top disaster response official, Simon Mechale, insists that the food situation is “under control” and will be resolved within four months. But in the countryside, there are signs that drought has taken a more serious toll.
At a recent food distribution in a village some 155 miles southwest of the capital, more than 4,000 people showed up for free wheat and cooking oil, but only 1,300 rations were available.
Harried health workers picked through the impatient crowd, sorting out the sickest children. Frantic mothers proffered their withered infants, hoping the children’s poor state would earn some food for the family.
Ayelech Daka said her 6-year-old son, Tariken Lakamu, has been living on one meal a day for the past three months.
“He was very fat three months ago,” said his mother, Ayelech said. “He was normal.”
Now, he’s skin and bones; he vomits just seconds after taking a bite of a ration offered by an aid worker.
“I’m weak,” the child said. “I feel sick. I don’t get any food.”
Another mother, Ukume Dubancho, rocked a listless infant, trying to squeeze out drops of breast milk for her children, ages 4 months and 4 years, both of whom show signs of severe malnutrition.
Villagers said they simply cannot afford the food on the market. The few mature ears of corn in the market were selling for about 11 cents an ear. Last year, when the rains were good, that money would buy six or seven ears.
“I am not able to walk, even,” Ukume said. “I walk for one kilometer and I have to rest.”
Associated Press writer Ed Harris in Lagos, Nigeria and John Heilprin at the United Nations contributed to this report.
9 thoughts on “Hunger in Ethiopia now spreading to adults”
dying by hunger is the most misrable end for any man kind.as ethiopian and member of human society, we should be ashamed of ourselves to let innocent ethiopians to end their existence by starvation.the combination of bad governing and lack of intllectual activities within ethiopian elites ,our society existence has been become upside down for centuries.folks ,what could be done at least to provide basic needs to our society? at this infinite sophestication of science and technology era ,how come we failed and missed thes opportunities? gobeze let us do something!!!
Unbelieveable!
ato Melese you and your family will pay big time I promise you that. I promise you that I will be danmedif I don’t bring you to justice.Every single TPLF EPRDF member will be held accountable for all this.
Meles zenawi is resposnible for all this problem and he will be accountable for all this cause and crimes.
Death to zenawi and his wife
gobez ere mendin new negeru ? alekin eko…!ohhhhhh meles yebelahew yemels.
tose
The article below has said it all!. I have nothing to say more.
I am Crying No More
By Fekade Shewakena
Nov 14, 2002
It is hard to express the feeling that goes on in me right now. It certainly does not look like the feeling of empathy for I know how it feels. I have been there before and experienced it. I know how compassion feels but it is different from what I am in now. I was there more than once – there in, Bati and Kobo and Dessie and Kemisse and in the Gerado valley in the midst of a full-blown famine raging in full swing killing people like flies. I had wept then till I was drenched in my tears. At that time crying and sharing whatever coins I had in my pockets even if it was meaningless gave me some meaning. Who said tears don’t help. I think it helps keep some sanity when things go so unimaginably tragic. It can help you elude yourself and gives you the feeling that you are helpful while you are totally helpless. I am afraid that I cannot cry now. I am not feeling like it at all. If anything, I now feel sick- sick down to the stomach and angry and outraged or may be a combination of these all. I wish I could cry but I am afraid that is not the feeling running in me now. May be I have ran out of tears. May be I am so far away across the Oceans to feel the real agony. My eyes are now as dry as the desert.
I just saw a pictures on my computer screen, of two beautiful children with their muddy faces fighting it on to survive for a day or two and the mother who waits for her child to die in her arms. I just saw a skeletal picture of a dying man staring with his piercing eyes on the Economist that carries the title Bad weather, bad government, worst leader . The old man’s eyes are so penetrating that he seemed he wants to blame it on me or extract something out of me. I can’t understand why he looks like intimidating to me and even scaring the hell out of me. Frankly I was afraid of him and felt like running away. I used to cry when I saw people like him and I think I saw at least one like him in 1984. I flipped to another website instead and saw the footages on the BBC website of the child who is reported to being resigned to even chase the fly sitting on his eyes and told the BBC reporter that he expects to die in a few days and before any food arrives in the village. I also saw the sorry face of my country’s Prime Minister and his begging mouth trying to seek out help from the world. The last time I saw his picture was when he was trying to outthink the thinkers of Addis Ababa University, my former workplace. (Thank you god for saving me the agony of sitting and listening to all that farce). Watching him beg, I felt like lashing out against him. But a part of the rational me said why should he take the blame alone. He is only the latest face in a series of begging leaders. And what about all the rest of us who have studied how other people solved their problems, even far more serious problems, and have allowed this to occur not once but so repeatedly? Shall we all go free blaming it on someone? I answered it no. If we are to solve this problem we have to begin by agreeing that a big crime is committed. People have died in mass of hunger and somebody or some entity must be held responsible and indicted. Somebody, some entity has committed a repeated crime against humanity in Ethiopia and we should not let it get away with mass murder. I am led to believe that this is the first order of business if we are committed to solve this degrading and shameful tragedy from happening again. I am not for the blame it on someone game. I will stand and get counted to take my responsibility. I am tired of making accusations but for one last time let’s find the real culprit and make the indictment. What has gone so wrong and who is doing this to this beautiful country?
Don’t add to my sickness telling me the reason is the weather. This is a tired and sick joke. This is a human failure, and humans have to take the blame. This is the real name of the problem. I believe this is the truth whether one likes it or not. In fact, one set of criminals are those that blame the weather in an attempt to try to hide the real culprit. These people are lying through their teeth and should be held responsible for their lie. In 1973 the dergue and all of us blamed the famine on the Emperor and the emperor’s men blamed it on the weather. In 1984 I have heard the guys in power now speak full mouth blaming the dergue for the famine, the dergue blamed it on the weather. Now the Meles and his people blame it on the weather. The critics blame it on its policies. How ironic that the more things change the more they remain the same. The same television set the same pictures only new beggars. This is a sickening game and it more than stinks.
Frankly the weather has nothing to do with our famine. I repeat! the weather has nothing to do with our famine. I am a student of Geography and understand my trade very well and can argue this point successfully. I can point to you countries that do not see a gallon of rain dropping on their land but have not had famine. You don’t have to be a food producer country not to be struck by famine for that matter. I have seen far more sever droughts that occurred in many parts of the world and have not caused a case of hunger let alone famine that kills people in mass. South East Asia lives under the same monsoon today as it use for very many years, but look at the long way they came trough to trash famine out of their system and that only in a few decades. I can go on and on and on with similar examples.
I am of the feeling that Ethiopia’s entire elite has to be on trial. Of course, first in the line of trial have to be the government officials who have made it their primary job to keep themselves in power rather than the welfare of the people. Of course, their crime is serious because they have been presiding over our misery in many cases tying the hands of people who want to make a difference. Their lies and sorry excuses must be punishable. I have heard EPRDF officials for example priding themselves for running a good early warning system of famine. These guys should be ashamed of it for their only job is preparing the country for early begging rather than fighting the root cause. Why can’t they think of begging as something unacceptable and humiliating in the first place and use the resource in that direction. Why do we need that RRC, or what ever is its name today? Why do we need institutions that lord over famine in the first place? What have these institutions done so far except institutionalizing famine and beggary? Wouldn’t it be a good idea to have an Institute of Famine Eradication instead of the Early Warning System or the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, which by the way consume huge resources themselves then becoming part of the problem rather than the solution? Why on earth should Ethiopia, the water tower of Eastern Africa, the land of hundreds of perennial rivers go hungry even for a day? Can’t we spend ten years working on one or two of the big river basins, which can more than feed the whole country? Don’t tell me that need capital and technology. Everyone knows that. Better beg for the damn technology and capital and squeeze the country’s resources once and work on both sides of the hand for ten years than become perennial and shameless beggars. Make it a policy priority and any average economic planner can tell us how to do it. Countries have dug their way out of this kind of messes. Why can’t we? We have to dig ourselves out of this mud and, believe it or not, there is no other way out.
And there are those of us who only know how to complain and do not come up with a problem solving idea. I mean those of us who are educated and pride and congratulate ourselves with our educational achievements and success in life. Those of us who believe that our education is a license to escaping the fait of the unfortunate victims and an end in itself, particularly those of us in Diaspora who seem to have shed all senses of responsibility. How about those of us who have done nothing if any to stop the famine except playing the blame game? Don’t tell me you have contributed money in the past or you have cried. That was not the way to become part of a solution. Criminal are also those of us who try to hide ourselves in Ethiopia’s history – in Yohannes, Menilik or Tewodros and the glory of the Battle of Adwa as if these can be turned into a slice of bread or a drop of water now.
And of course the demon that has possessed Ethiopia for so long has to be tried. The demon that makes the country eat her children? Don’t ask me how, but I feel the demon that made us worship guns and hatred and cruelty has to be tried and punished one way or another. The demon that made the Abay River disgorge the mass of our soil and water outside of Ethiopia has now made another river out of airplanes that carry away and disgorge the country’s children in Europe and America. Here is my bigger fear. If everything and every criminal is left as is, I am sure there will be another, perhaps bigger, famine down the line. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, as my American brothers would say.
Those of you who want to keep on crying you can go ahead and cry. Get drenched in your tears and you will see what you can get. May be it helps you get over it for now. Rest assured it won’t help you solve the problem. As for me, I have done that already. I don’t want to look like an idiot any more. Even if I want to cry I have tears no more
it was not too long ago weyanes boss telling the wourld that ethiopias economy is growing by more than 10% per year, that means better than china. but no one is dieing by hunger in china.
we dont need to talk just we have to pray for god. in ethiopia people are safering with a diiferent problem. god please look at us
Haile Selasie and his company have paid, Mengistu and his company have paid and still paying, and believe me very soon the Hitler of the Horn of Africa, Melese and his tugs will pay dearly by their cheap lives for the millions of wasted lives of not only Ethiopians but people of the whole of the Horn of Africa through their devilish use of war, diseases, starvation, persecution, execution, and exile, etc. What depresses most is that the rich and powerful countries were and still are persistently and knowingly supporting these murderer and blood sucker regimes of Africa for their own national interest. History will judge them all and the people of the Horn will prevail!
fellow ethiopians , TPLF has imported stravation from north to all parts of ethiopia. if we do not stop these bllody criminals and catch one by one bring to justice, wewill not have ethiopia after three or four years.