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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Drought, War, and the Politics of Famine in Ethiopia and Eritrea
Author:Keller, Edmond J.ISNI
Year:1992
Periodical:Journal of Modern African Studies
Volume:30
Issue:4
Period:December
Pages:609-624
Language:English
Geographic terms:Ethiopia
Eritrea
Subjects:rebellions
food policy
famine
Drought and Desertification
Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment
Politics and Government
Ethnic and Race Relations
Military, Defense and Arms
nationalism
External link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/161267
Abstract:This article analyses how political decisions exacerbated the consequences of drought in Ethiopia during the mid-1980s. It shows that although the drought of 1983-1986 was bound to be major because of climatic changes, its effects might have been mitigated through effective policies and timely foreign disaster relief. But the Ethiopian regime seemed more interested in pursuing a political agenda of Statist control rather than a strategy designed to achieve food security. This could be seen in its policies relating to State farms and collectivization, as well as resettlement and villagization. The Derg continued its attempts to eliminate its opponents, and in the process systematically used relief aid as a replacement for funds that were being devoted to prosecuting military objectives. The net effect of these policies was to inhibit the achievement of food security not only in Ethiopia and Eritrea, but in the Horn as a whole. In addition, the protracted civil conflicts threatened the political stability of the entire region, and ultimately led to the collapse of Mengistu's Afro-Marxist regime. Ref.
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