(30 July 2011, By Daniel Howden, Africa Correspondent) -Concerns are mounting of a possible hidden famine in Eritrea while international aid agencies scramble to fill a "black hole" in information coming out of the isolated Horn of Africa nation.
The UN, Red Cross and other organisations have appealed to the Eritrean government to conduct a joint-assessment as the impact of the drought crisis continues to worsen in neighbouring Somalia and Ethiopia.
Eritrea has so far denied any shortages and accused the international community of crying "crocodile tears" over famine victims in other countries.
Ethiopia, where 4.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, as well as 228,000 refugees, claims that more than half the population in Eritrea needs food aid.
This has been strongly denied by Eritrea, where presidential adviser Yemane Ghebreab said: "There [are] no food shortages in Eritrea at the present time. Last year, we had a bumper harvest."
In its crisis map of the region the UN has listed Eritrea as "stressed" but officials admit they have almost no information on the situation on the ground.
The former Italian colony, once feted for its heroic struggle for independence, has evolved into an international pariah that was this week accused by the UN of planning a bombing campaign against regional rival Ethiopia and has previously been charged with funding Somali militants the Shabab. Read More The Independent »
The UN, Red Cross and other organisations have appealed to the Eritrean government to conduct a joint-assessment as the impact of the drought crisis continues to worsen in neighbouring Somalia and Ethiopia.
Eritrea has so far denied any shortages and accused the international community of crying "crocodile tears" over famine victims in other countries.
Ethiopia, where 4.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, as well as 228,000 refugees, claims that more than half the population in Eritrea needs food aid.
This has been strongly denied by Eritrea, where presidential adviser Yemane Ghebreab said: "There [are] no food shortages in Eritrea at the present time. Last year, we had a bumper harvest."
In its crisis map of the region the UN has listed Eritrea as "stressed" but officials admit they have almost no information on the situation on the ground.
The former Italian colony, once feted for its heroic struggle for independence, has evolved into an international pariah that was this week accused by the UN of planning a bombing campaign against regional rival Ethiopia and has previously been charged with funding Somali militants the Shabab. Read More The Independent »
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