Washington Update 

 1. UNICEF issued an urgent warning today about hunger in Ethiopia. 
  “An estimated 126,000 children are in need of urgent therapeutic care for severe malnutrition. UNICEF Ethiopia today cautioned that up to six million children under-5 years of age are living in 
impoverished, drought-prone districts and require urgent preventive health and nutrition interventions.” 
 
UNICEF and international media noted Ethiopia’s history of famine and compared the current crisis to 2003. Perhaps because UNICEF needs to some cooperation from the Meles regime to distribute food aid, the organization did not note that the crisis is both predictable and preventable. The Meles regime’s failed economic policies, especially its agricultural policies and its failure to invest in irrigation infrastructure, have led directly to today’s desperate situation. While international assistance is urgently needed to save lives, it should be accompanied by demands for a transition to democracy in Ethiopia that would in turn make it possible to reform the agricultural sector. 
 
  2. Although it hasn’t received international attention, another potential crisis is emerging in Ethiopia. The Sudanese Army continues to occupy Ethiopian territory. According to Talha 
Gebriel, Bureau Chief of Asharq Al-Awsat, a pan-Arab newspaper, the occupation is supported by Qatar and Eritrea, and is intended to destabilize Ethiopia. 
  3. A U.S. State Department spokesperson recently acknowledged that there have been credible reports of massive irregularities in the recent Ethiopian elections. Answering a question about the 
Ethiopian local elections at a May 19 briefing, State Dept. spokesperson Sean McCormack said “it’s very difficult to make a judgment about the claims of irregularities in these local elections. However, there have been enough of these kinds of claims by opposition parties that it certainly does raise concerns about the elections.” 
  4. Engineer Hailu Shawel, President of Coalition for Unity and Democracy in Ethiopia is concluding his visit to the United States. He conducted an extensive tour of the United States, 
briefing Ethiopian –Americans and generating support for democracy and human rights. Engineer Hailu Shawel emphasized his vision for 21^st century Ethiopia, including a peaceful transition to  democracy. He addressed large meetings throughout the U.S., including two major events in the Washington, D.C. area. In addition, Engineer Hailu Shawel was invited to speak at the Martin 
Luther King Center in Atlanta, Georgia; met with State Department officials, including Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi E. Frazer; met with the National Democratic Institute; and briefed members of Congress and congressional staff. Highlights of congressional briefings included meeting with Rep. Christopher Smith (R-N.J.), members of Sen. Obama’s staff, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff.

 Mesfin Mekonen, Kinijit International Foreign Relations