(15 Nov 2011, The Guardian)-- Ethiopian government denies claims the country's productive safety net programme excludes opposition supporters.
An Ethiopian official has strongly rejected accusations that the government deliberately excludes opposition supporters from its food safety net programme.
Tadesse Bekele, deputy head of food security and early warning systems, insisted that the productive safety net programme (PSNP), which provides food and cash to vulnerable families for work on public projects, worked for the benefit of all Ethiopians regardless of their political affiliations.
Speaking to a small group of European journalists on Monday, Bekele said communities would not allow this to happen. "Nobody has died because of a lack of food [in the current drought]," he said animatedly. "I hear these stories, but I do not see this when I am on the ground.
No one would say to someone you are from the opposition, you can't get food. The community would not allow this to happen. There are places where there are people who support the opposition, but food is reaching them." Read more from TheGuardian.co.uk »
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An Ethiopian official has strongly rejected accusations that the government deliberately excludes opposition supporters from its food safety net programme.
Tadesse Bekele, deputy head of food security and early warning systems, insisted that the productive safety net programme (PSNP), which provides food and cash to vulnerable families for work on public projects, worked for the benefit of all Ethiopians regardless of their political affiliations.
Speaking to a small group of European journalists on Monday, Bekele said communities would not allow this to happen. "Nobody has died because of a lack of food [in the current drought]," he said animatedly. "I hear these stories, but I do not see this when I am on the ground.
No one would say to someone you are from the opposition, you can't get food. The community would not allow this to happen. There are places where there are people who support the opposition, but food is reaching them." Read more from TheGuardian.co.uk »
Related topics:
Ethiopia 'using aid as weapon of oppression'
Ethiopian government crackdown intensifies following investigation: BBC-News night
Analysis: Did DFID properly investigate Ethiopian aid allegations?
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