204. Information Memorandum From the Assistant Administrator of the Africa Bureau, Agency for International Development (Ruddy) to the Administrator of the Agency for International Development (McPherson)1
SUBJECT
- Africa Bureau Weekly Report—April 15, 1983
[Omitted here is information unrelated to African famine relief.]
4. Ethiopia—War as well as Drought Generating Refugees (CONF): Another in the annual campaigns by the central government to crush resistance in Eritrea and Tigray has been launched.2 Intense fighting has taken place in the westernmost portion of Tigray. The fighting is interrupting a potential flow of refugees from drought-stricken areas, but is likely to generate more refugees from the combat itself. The Embassy reports that security in Tigray has deteriorated to such a degree that movement from northern Tigray to Makelle (the capital, approximately in the center of the province) has taken as much as two weeks.3 Apparently even for non-combatant civilians travel is safe only when accompanying a military convoy.
At the same time, there is general agreement that a serious drought situation does exist. Reports from ICRC, the Canadian government, World Vision and OxFam have been obtained recently, all of which confirm drought conditions, though they also indicated that the situation was not as bad as the PMGSE asserted. The Embassy reports that the RRC, sensitive to the public relations problem created by stories of diversions, has been more forthcoming with permits for foreigners to travel to the field. From the Ethiopian point of view this may have been an indiscretion. Ground and air travellers saw evidence of drought but also clear evidence that food crops were available.
The movement of refugees has begun to reach the Ethiopian border with border police counts rising from the 12–15 people the past three months to 100 or more per day. AmEmbassy reports that water is in [Page 576] short supply. Both the fighting (as noted above) and the onset of the rainy season in Ethiopia are making travel difficult for refugees at present, but this may only increase the influx later. The donor community does not seem prepared at present to meet a large refugee influx; WFP, in Rome, is sending a team to Sudan to begin development of a contingency plan for handling large numbers of Ethiopian refugees. The Sudanese have only rudimentary preparations and there is still disagreement on whether the prople involved are fleeing from natural disaster, war, political repression or other threats.4
[Omitted here is information unrelated to African famine relief.]
- Source: National Archives, RG 286, USAID/O/ADMIN/ExecSec, Box 149, ADM-2 (April–May) FY 83. Secret. Drafted by Sharp and cleared in AFR/DP and DAA/AFR. Sent through AID/ES.↩
- In NSDD 57, September 17, 1982, the President outlined U.S. policy toward the Horn of Africa, including the civil war in Ethiopia and stated that the United States had no interest in a settlement of the Eritrean conflict. (Department of State, INR/IL Files, Box 8, Roger Channel, Ethiopia—Non Covert Action 81–85)↩
- Not further identified.↩
- McPherson highlighted this paragraph and wrote: “I need to be kept current on this.”↩