#OromoProtests

The United States Announces Additional Humanitarian Assistance for Ethiopia

August 19, 2016 in Ethiopia

The United States announced nearly $35 million in additional humanitarian assistance to help the people of Ethiopia face the impacts of the worst drought in fifty years

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, August 19, 2016/APO/ —

(APO) — The United States announced nearly $35 million in additional humanitarian assistance to help the people of Ethiopia face the impacts of the worst drought in fifty years.

Triggered by El Niño, the drought follows successive poor rainy seasons and has exceeded many people’s ability to cope. Today’s funding announcement will support USAID’s UN and NGO partners in providing humanitarian aid, including more than 6,000 metric tons of supplementary and therapeutic foods to help an estimated one million people suffering from moderate and severe acute malnutrition. The new funding will also increase access to safe water and sanitation facilities and promote hygienic practices to drought-affected communities.

USAID’s Mission Director in Ethiopia Leslie Reed announced the new funding in Addis Ababa during an event commemorating World Humanitarian Day

To get communities back on their feet, USAID partners are providing seeds to farmers and assistance to protect their livestock and other assets. We are also helping to train health workers, expand programs that address gender-based violence in drought-affected areas, and augment logistics capacities so that critical supplies get to people most in need. These efforts will help Ethiopians meet immediate needs, protect development gains made, and complement long-term efforts to build resilience to future disasters.

With this announcement, the United States is providing nearly $774 million since FY 2015 in humanitarian assistance and continues to be the single largest humanitarian donor to the people of Ethiopia.

USAID’s Mission Director in Ethiopia Leslie Reed announced the new funding in Addis Ababa during an event commemorating World Humanitarian Day, which was designated by the United Nations in memory of the 22 UN and relief agency staff who lost their lives in a bombing in Baghdad 13 years ago. With this year’s theme being One Humanity, USAID stands in solidarity with the people of Ethiopia, to help them mitigate the worst impacts of the drought.

The United States commends other donors who have contributed to the Ethiopia drought response, and encourages others to join this international effort. Mobilizing a robust and coordinated global response will be critical to protect the country’s development gains and ensure early recovery.

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OHCHR Press Briefing Notes – (1) Ethiopia

Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Ravina Shamdasani

GENEVA, Switzerland, August 19, 2016/APO/ — (1) Ethiopia

High Commissioner reached out to the Ethiopian Government, seeking access for independent observers to the country to assess the human rights situation

Given the extremely alarming reports that emerged earlier this month about serious human rights violations in the Oromia and Amhara regions of Ethiopia, the High Commissioner reached out to the Ethiopian Government, seeking access for independent observers to the country to assess the human rights situation. We have now received a reply from the Government, indicating that they will launch an independent investigation into the events.

We welcome the decision to launch an independent investigation, and we urge the Government to ensure that the investigation has a mandate to cover allegations of human rights violations since the unrest in Oromia began in November 2015, that it is indeed independent, transparent, thorough and effective, with a view to establishing whether the use of excessive force occurred and with a view to bringing to justice the perpetrators of any human rights violations.

We stand ready to assist in ensuring that the investigation is undertaken in line with international human rights standards. We also reiterate our request for access to the affected areas, as the situation on the ground makes it very challenging for independent civil society actors to operate, particularly given the tense situation in parts of the Oromia and Amhara regions, where a large security presence has reportedly been deployed, and there are reports of ongoing arbitrary arrests, intimidation and harassment of people in the regions.

We call on the Government to ensure that the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression are protected and that those detained for exercising these rights are promptly released. Protests must be handled by security forces with full respect for international human rights laws and standards on the use of force.

We also call on the Government to work towards opening up the political and democratic space. This should include a comprehensive reform of the security sector, as well as legislative and institutional reforms.