Ethiopia Receives 6.7 Million Euros in Aid So Far This YearThe European Union said Tuesday that it has provided Ethiopia with 6.7 million euros (6 million US dollars) in humanitarian aid this year.The European Commission, the executive body of the 15-nation European bloc, said the aid would focus on assisting people who are still suffering from the 1998-2000 drought and the victims of recent conflicts between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Three years of drought, combined with major structural deficiencies and inadequate local capacity, have resulted in acute water and food shortages in southern Ethiopia, commission officials said. The situation in the country was exacerbated by the resumption of conflicts with neighboring Eritrea in May 2000, the officials added. An estimated total of 270,000 people were displaced by the drought and the conflicts. The EU's humanitarian branch, ECHO, will be in charge of funneling the special aid to areas most severely hit by the drought and conflicts. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |