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Former Ethiopian General Claims Live Aid Funds Were Spent on Arms
“We are talking about a disgruntled, exiled general,” Live Aid organizer and former Boomtown Rat Bob Geldof has responded, insisting, “It just didn’t happen.”
Contactmusic reports Geldof as responding to claims made by former Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front member Aregawi Berhe, who has stated that the majority of aid money was spent on weapons for Ethiopia’s rebel armies, at the behest of Meles Zenawi, who was then a rebel army leader and is currently Ethiopia’s prime minister. Berhe claims that Zenawi delegated 95% of funds to two different resistance groups, and only 5% to actual famine relief.
Was Live Aid actually some nefarious plan of Geldof’s to go global with “Boomtown” in a way we would never have suspected? Of course not. Was Live Aid, and various other international aid organizations, duped into funding Ethiopia’s rebel armies? To some extent, probably. But probably not to the extent that Berhe claims.
Live Aid was a major multi-venue concert event in 1985 that raised over $240m for famine relief in Ethiopia. Through groundbreaking live TV satellite links, the even connected truly amazingly huge concerts in London and Philadelphia, attracting 400 million viewers, across 60 countries. The performers were too numerous to list here, but included a glut of the biggest artists of all time. Dylan, Clapton, the Who, Zeppelin, Sabbath, Bowie, Queen, CSNY, Madonna, Elvis Costello, Duran Duran, and many more. Including… The Hooters!
What — you don’t remember the Hooters?! Come on! This video is just… I don’t know — painfully awesome? The Hooters were really in it to save the world.
14 Comments
I am from Tigray and my village relatives know this that almost all humanitarian aid was under the control of TPLF (Meles Zenawi and Sibhate Nega). Even then when people want to get humanitarian aid they have to support TPLF, if not they will not be entitled to any aid.
TPL/EPRDF the current Ethiopian government uses AID for political reason. I think Bob Geldof has been cheated.
I am from Tigray too, so many people have saved thanks to the TPLF. It was not for the TPLF, believe me a lot of people have died. Thanks a lot also Bob Geldof
Where have the been? Till now? 25 years their toung was not functioning? These are opportunists that benefitted, stolen, chaised away and now timing but Ethiopians very well know what chang has been made in the then Tigray region and the Federal Democratic Ethiopia. We have to change a lot and far from contenting ourselves from what we have achieved but we cannot ignor the achievement caused and being caused by this group. My advice is that, this self claimed ex general stops his cheap propaganda at the eve of election as Ethiopians are much more smart than his dull mind.
It is not a claim made by two individuals. This is a detailed journalistic work done by one highly experienced BBC journalist. He has gone great lengths to verify the facts. He has interview so many people. If any one has a doubt, it is instructive to listen this part among the series to understand the distance Martin Plaut has gone to fact check all the allegations.
The guys are not ordinary member of the rebel movement. They are founders of the revolt. The precede Zenawi in joining the struggle. Aregawi was dethroned from the leadership by Zenawi and was made to exile him self into Sudan and then eventually he settled in Netherlands.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p006dyn3
Keep in mind also there is a declassified CIA document that states CIA was aware of the fact that AID money was being diverted to other purposes including purchase of Arms. The Reggan administration was indifferent to it just because Dergue was a Soviet ally and USA was fighting communism everywhere. It is a classic case of ” as long as they are fighting my enemy…..” It is sad.
Anyways, Zenawi, is still today an aid darling and uses food aid as a tool to buy votes. It is a sad reality.
Ask BBC why they took them so long to report on it. Not the witnesses. I don’t think they would resist to give their word if they are requested by any media.
BBC should issue an apology. This is one of the worst reports ever by a so called professional media organization! The Western media needs to realize the utter depravity and stunning deceitfulness of the minuscule but very vocal, maniacally hate-filled Ethiopian Diaspora extremists in Europe and USA. It’s about time they wake up and see that some of these guys wish nothing but evil to befall Ethiopia just to spite the current Ethiopian government and gain power they believe is their God given privilege.
Degu,
You are not for sure from Tigray as your name tells it well. There is no such a name in Tigray. You are one vermin, dying worm from the opposition camp.
Samrawit Girmay,
Come on Shaebya. What the hell are you doing in an Ethiopian affair? It is not surprising to hear this from an Eritrean woman.
Shaebya (the Eritrean gov.) is hit on the head.
Thank you a thousand time Mr. Geldof for clearing the cloud.
Aregawi Berhe and asha Geremedhin, shame on you. shame on you LOSERS
“You can bend it and twist it… You can misuse and abuse it… But even God cannot change the Truth.” I am glad finally it’s out, sorry Sir Bob Geldof, well done Martin Plaut! Wonder if any one is going to be fooled again by the so called ‘Live Aid’ which helps corrupt officials to buy weapons instead of feeding their citizens!
General Berhe’s claims and the BBC investigation are corroborated by the CIA.
Beyond that, the use and abuse of aid by Tigrian rebels is exhaustively documented in a 1994 book published by Norwegian Church Aid. It’s called Without Troops & Tanks, by Mark Duffield and John Prendergast.
The Tigrian rebels were paid by the CIA by the Reagan administration. To this day they continue to amass wealth and wreak havoc on the populations of Ethiopia, Somalia and the entire Horn of Africa.
Regrettably, well-intentioned Western aid has been instrumental in keeping Ethiopians poor and oppressed.
…….WHY NOW???????…..it is election season in Ethiopia,and the likes of Aregawi Berhe,who were once part of the struggle againest the derg regime,envy the position and power their former comrades exercise now.They will do everything they can and turn every stone ,to see their former comrades destroyed.They are blinded by jealousy and hate.These alligations implicates further that the the chaos and bloodshade during and after the last 2005 election are incited by the likes Aregawi……IT IS THE CHEAPEST AND THE MOST DIRTY OF ALL POLITICS…….
I mean so what, I am not saying that money was used for this and that, I do not know… It was probably used, most propably… But so what… The root cause of the famine in the first place was not only rainfall but the governement resettlement program… A very deceitful program presented as a tool of devellopement, but used to separate rebels from their base support in Tigrai and Gondar… TPLF is tigrean only in name, their were and still are gondar amharas, that everybody remenbers were killed by thousands under DERG, in that movement and most remanants of EPPF. The source of the problem was the DERG regime if they used that money to fight DERG then I thank them for it… They expulsed an ennemy of Ethiopia… Thanks to EPRDF…
Geldof was never able to give a proper account of the 270 million dollars he collected.
He is defending his own mishandling of the funds, least somebody ask for the real use of the money.
This story is not new. Different source have written how TPLF has diverted aid money for buying arms. Food distribution and adminstration was carried out through TPLF’s releif organization, REST.
Rest played the major role in stealing the aid and divert it to TPLF. The diversion of funds was a bit trickier than you think. Many Ethiopians who crossed the border from Gondar to the Sudan in the 1985 and later have witnessed how TPLF manipulated its own people by organizing them as hungry food aid seekers. Then practically drove then to Sudan. Once the hungry people were settled and they started receiving aid, they moved them to a different location in huge numbers and claimed them as new comers.
Yet another nail in the coffin for BBC’s reputation.
bob geldof was cheated no doubt about that the crime of meles zenawi is well known by the entire world what wonders me the most is why mr geldof try to defend the criminal meles zenawi mr geldof try to be on the side of the truth
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[...] Former Ethiopian General Claims Live Aid Funds Were Spent on Arms | Crawdaddy! -Read more – Blogged with the Flock Browser [...]
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