On July 16 (Fri.), the Government of Japan decided to extend an emergency aid of 920,000 US dollars through the World Food Programme (WFP) to internally displaced people in Ethiopia and Eritrea, caused by the border conflict between them.
The border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which started in May 1998, has developed into a severe armed conflict and produced a large number of internally displaced persons in both countries. Despite the repeated mediation efforts of the international community including the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the United Nations, peace has not yet been achieved and sporadical battles in the border area are still reported.
According to a WFP appeal, a total of more than 500,000 people are internally displaced in both countries. Most of these are the aged, women and children, who were driven from the villages where the people live by small farming dependent on rainwater. They are facing the danger of starvation and malnutrition, and are in need of emergency food assistance.
In response to an appeal made by the
WFP to the international community, Japan has decided to extend the present
assistance from a humanitarian viewpoint.
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