| Ethiopia famine aid 'spent on weapons' |
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| Written by BBC | |
| Friday, 05 March 2010 | |
 Millions of dollars in Western aid for victims of the Ethiopian famine of 1984-85 was siphoned off by rebels to buy weapons, a BBC investigation finds.Former rebel leaders told the BBC that they posed as merchants in meetings with charity workers to get aid money. They used the cash to fund attempts to overthrow the government of the time. One rebel leader estimated $95m (£63m) - from Western governments and charities including Band Aid - was channelled into the rebel fight. The CIA, in a 1985 assessment entitled Ethiopia: Political and Security Impact of the Drought, also alleged aid money was being misused. TPLF's former commander, Aregawi Berhe says that some $100m went through the hands of the TPLF and affiliated groups. Some 95% of it was allocated to buying weapons and building up a hard-line Marxist political party within the rebel movement. |
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