Ethiopia opposition says food aid kept from members

By Barry Malone

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) -

Ethiopian opposition parties said on Wednesday that their members were being refused food aid to force them to join the ruling party before national elections are held in May next year.


The Ethiopian government says 6.2 million people will need emergency food this year and has appealed to the international community for help.

Another 7 million Ethiopians are part of a long-running food-for-work scheme, which means more than 13 million of the country's 80 million people rely on aid to survive.


Comment from: Deme [Visitor]


This is a public secret. Every one knows and the gov't doing this with out any fear. If you have family in Addis or out side Addis will tell you; many of them do say I have to eat and support a family members.

To make sure this work; the people who register will get a job right away and they get special ID too. There are many people let go with some excuse like PBR to be replaced by these people.

It is very easy to be judgemental from here; in Ethiopia with no job the alternative is to be dead. There doing it to servive hoping a better day will come soon.

This is one way to have some kind of support for the gov't with out the will of the public. If you have difficulty finding a job or have been let go; you are not supporting the current gov't.

If you do not support this evil gov't they will show their power by punishing you not to have any opportunity. The only people do not have to suffer for now; people who have some kind of business.

It just a matter of time for them before they are forced to support the dictator. It is very sad, but true.

Comment from: The Right Way [Visitor]


abesha
This is Woyane style democracy. It doesn’t take a scientist to figure out what will Woyane do to keep the power grab.
This time around Woyane style of democracy is forcing people to vote by denying food and water and collectively punishing people of all provinces except some part of Tigray. Nowadays we here problems like water and power shortages that have never been problems before. All of these are Woyane designed schemes to seal the power grab by causing people to suffer.
Since it is too early to start shooting and killing every one that will not vote for Meles they have come up with this heinous scheme to punish Ethiopians including infants and children through denying food and water.
This is Woyane’s way of getting election through starving, intimidation and suppression. They know they will not get a single vote unless they intimidate and subjugate people to misery. So they are starting early thinking no one will knows their ugly and inhumane dirty work.