THE HORN OF AFRICA NEEDS LONG-TERM INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION

By Martti Ahtisaari and - - Reprint | | Print |

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HELSINKI, Jan 1 2004 (IPS) - Jumping from crisis to crisis is becoming unbearable for the people in the Horn of Africa, for the humanitarian community, and for donors as well, writes Martti Ahtisaari, the president of Finland in 1994-2000. As a result of failed rains in 2002, both Ethiopia and Eritrea face serious food shortages and the humanitarian consequences of increased destitution among the most vulnerable segments of society. Between six and ten million people will require food and other forms of assistance this year. We are entering a period in the Horn of Africa in which the underlying causes of these problems must be addressed urgently and properly, the author writes in this analysis. It is generally agreed that the time has come for the World Bank to take the leading role in the long-term development efforts and for the international donor community to concentrate its efforts in the Horn of Africa. It will be much more cost effective if we manage to shift the development towards increasing independence in the production and food security.

Jumping from crisis to crisis is becoming unbearable for the people in the Horn of Africa, for the humanitarian community, and for donors as well. Development in the region has to be steered to a more sustainable basis as the frequency of severe droughts seems to have increased.

As a result of failed rains in 2002, both Ethiopia and Eritrea still face serious food shortages and the humanitarian consequences of increased destitution among the most vulnerable segments of society.

Between six and ten million people currently require food and other forms of assistance in the Horn of Africa, yet a major emergency could be prevented this time as a result of the early warnings of impending crisis and prompt action by donors, local governments, and the humanitarian community.

In Ethiopia –a huge country of over 70 million people– a major disaster was indeed averted in 2003 through a remarkable collective effort. Still, significant humanitarian needs remain, especially in non-food sectors. It will be necessary to continue large-scale humanitarian efforts in 2004 and to maintain the current momentum of fund-raising.

Requirements remain substantial, especially in worst affected areas where malaria and a variety of infectious diseases are hitting the physically weak harder than usual.

There are also very difficult policy issues, like the question of land. The average size of a farm is one hectare, which can’t feed a family of five even in good years.

The government of Ethiopia is now implementing plans that relocate people to provide them with twice the amount of land. As the experiences of other countries have shown, making people move is always a controversial approach.

The state-owned land is not fully privatised but people are granted very long-term ownership rights, which they can transfer to their children. This makes the farmers much more committed to the land and more eager to make improvements.

The Ethiopian government is reluctant to implement full privatisation of the land because of the fear that people might sell their plots –their only asset– and place themselves totally at the mercy of outside help.

In Eritrea –a country of 3.6 million people– there are several worrying indicators. About two-thirds of the population now live below the poverty line, with at least half of these in extreme poverty. Child malnutrition is high, and up to 53 percent of households are headed by women.

With the increase in the frequency of severe droughts and humanitarian crisis, we are entering a period in the Horn of Africa in which the underlying causes of these problems must be addressed urgently and properly.

In the case of Eritrea, three central areas will require attention in order to achieve more long-term results: (1) meeting outstanding humanitarian funding requirements, which is instrumental in building the foundations for recovery and development, (2) improving the dialogue between the government and donors, and (3) finalising the demarcation process of the disputed border between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The government of Eritrea indicated that a sense of insecurity is preventing a more rapid demobilisation. Given the considerable impact that the general labour shortage and absence of farmers from their land is having on the humanitarian situation, it will be critical to have demarcation carried out on an urgent basis.

Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a bitter and disastrous war in 1998-2000 over the border line in Badme; this same section of the border is again being disputed.

It is generally agreed that the time has come for the World Bank to take the leading role in the long-term development efforts and for the international donor community to concentrate its efforts in the Horn of Africa.

It will be much more cost effective if we manage to shift development towards increasing independence in production and food security.

Once we have identified the programmes that are needed (this process is well underway) the international community must look into financing them in a slightly longer-term perspective –a five year period as a minimum– and commit itself to these targets in order to achieve real progress in the area. It will only become more difficult if we fail to act now. (END/COPYRIGHT IPS)