§ 46. Mr. IllsleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the latest information he has on the famine situation in Ethiopia.
§ Mrs. ChalkerAs the House knows, up to 4 million people are at increasing risk and some 1.1 million tonnes of food aid will be required up to the end of October of which about half has already been pledged. Our critical objectives remain to get the earliest distribution of food particularly within Tigré, as agreed on 18 January, and to find a speedy route towards the end of fighting and a negotiated solution.
§ 71. Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance is being offered to the inhabitants of Tigréand Wollo in northern Ethiopia; and what steps are being taken to ensure that such assistance is getting through.
§ Mrs. ChalkerSince the middle of 1989, we have made commitments of food and other emergency assistance to the value of some £5.8 million for the benefit of those threatened by famine in Tigré. This assistance is being channelled through British non-governmental organisations which have long experience of work of this kind in Ethiopia. The world food programme is also advising on the situation and how best to ensure that the food aid reaches those for whom it is intended. Because of the military situation in Wollo, it has not so far been possible to provide aid to that region.