The Guardian's East Africa correspondent, Xan Rice, wrote a touching piece today on Birtukan Mideksa, perhaps Ethiopia's best hope to break out of its violent cycle, and the toll her incarceration has taken on her elderly mother and only child. There are many lines worthy of quoting in the article, but here is the one that stands out for me:
It is in moments like these that I feel Ethiopia would be better off without Western aid. But that would be heartless, wouldn't it?
"The government says the more we make noise the more difficult it will be to get her [Mideksa] out," said one western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Are we going to risk our entire aid budget for one person? No."Does any one get what this anonymous western diplomat is saying? Is he/she saying that the reason they do not make noise is because they (the donors) can't afford to offend the aid recipient? What kind of twisted logic is that? What a heartless diplomat!
It is in moments like these that I feel Ethiopia would be better off without Western aid. But that would be heartless, wouldn't it?
0 Responses to “Mideksa: Not Forgotten”
Post a Comment
1. Anonymous commenting is disabled because some folks failed to respect the honor code. If you are serious about entering into a dialogue here on Enset, please go to gmail.com and sign up for a Google account or use one of the other profiles in the drop-down menu below, if you have one.
2. Please be civil and choose your words carefully when you comment. Inflammatory comments which contain name calling, disrespect towards others and inappropriate language, among others, will be deleted. Period. Also, please stay on topic with the subject matter of the posting to the maximum extent possible.