Can the War-on-Famine in Ethiopia Be Won?

First and foremost, there has to be such a war [There is no war-on -famine]. When was the last time the incompetent [past-and-present] Ethiopian leaders have not led a war of any sort, when it comes to tackling the now endless famine in Ethiopia? Never.We all have grown accustomed to hearing reports of famine and drought in Ethiopia.And, 2009 is about to prove no different from the other years.Time magazine has just published an article – Drought and Famine: Ethiopia’s Cycle Continues - by, Kassahun Addis.As Ethiopia remains caught in a deadly cycle of drought and famine, aid agencies warn that erratic rainfall and ever-rising food costs are compounding the problems carried over from last year’s drought to leave 6.2 million people in need of food assistance, on top of the 7.5 million already getting aid from the government.Close to 14 million Ethiopians — 20% of the country’s total population — now have difficulty finding enough to eat, including, according to UNICEF, 62,000 children under five in the worst-affected areas who received treatment for severe acute malnutrition during the first half of 2009. And that number is set to rise. “There are growing concerns about the impact of relief food shortfalls on already vulnerable children,” UNICEF said on Aug. 6. “As therapeutic feeding programs reach more hot-spot districts, the number of severely malnourished children receiving treatment will increase.” The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) says the problem in the ethnic Somali region, Ogaden, is complicated even further due to “insurgent activity and security operations” that are disrupting trade networks and the movement of people and livestock.As always, the numbers are staggering; almost unfathomable.For as long as I can remember, since I have been ‘aware‘ of things, the reality of famine and drought in Ethiopia has always been either present, or looming. It’s not a question of ‘who’ would be dying of food shortage, it is ‘how many’.What is even more confounding is when one hears these so-called relief organizations being unable to reach some of these remote spots, where the people are desperate and their fate on living lies on these very relief organizations. In Ethiopia, [however unfair] you’ve got a nation that is synonymous with famine to outsiders, yet for some bizarre reason, help and hope has always been – a day late, and a dollar short.The politics of it all can make the average person dizzy, and the debate over who-is-failing-who has been had, and will be had.Let me just quickly say this, since the blame is being passed on all the time. Relief organizations will always point to the lack of planning and red-tape bureaucracy that is prevalent with African governments, and the African leaders will not miss to tell you that these so-called relief organizations have failed to do their job of helping the world’s most needy and desperate.The truth is . . . (in my opinion)The money that the US and the UK are willing to spend on fighting a war against Iraq would be enough to solve the imminent famine in Ethiopia … and to construct the irrigation network that could ensure it never happens again. … If there is only enough money available for one war, it must be obvious that famine is the top priority. The threat of famine is imminent, whereas the threat from Iraq is distant, as the Iraq dossier showed. War on famine is certain to save millions of lives, whereas war on Iraq will kill tens of thousands and make refugees of many more. The war-on-famine can be won, whereas the war on terrorism cannot.So the truth is, we’ve never had a war-on-famine. And it’s never too late to start one.The politically correct way to deal with this would be to blame one’s own government, and not anyone else. Well, if we can print money and borrow heavily for destruction, it’s the morally right thing to do to save a life, for a fraction of the cost of destruction.