Civil War and Famine in Ethiopia

The House Foriegn Affair Subcommittee on Africa heard testimony on the continuing political upheavals in Ethiopia, and the U.S. policy towards the civil strife and famine in the war-torn country. Witnesses testified on the recently completed peace talks between opponents in the Ethiopian civil war, which negotiated a transitional government to take control of the country beginning July 1. The previous leader, President Mengistu Haile Mariam, fled Ethiopia May 21, leaving the country in control of two groups; the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front controls the nation’s capital, Addis Ababa, while the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front controls Eritrea, an Ethiopian province which has fought for independence for 30 years. A planned referendum on the independence of Eritrea was delayed for at least one year to insure the stability of Ethiopia. Parts of Eritrea have not experienced rain in over two years, leaving the region’s agriculture in ruins and the population dying of close