Aid not enough

Germany's foreign ministry on Monday announced that it was topping up its humanitarian aid fund to East Africa by 2.5 million Euros ($3.54 million), in addition to the 9.6 million Euros it has sent to the region to help combat the worst drought in decades.

But critics in Germany have criticized the government's response to the crisis, saying it's been too slow.

"Actually, you can reduce it to the short slogan – too little, too late," Ulrich Maurer, deputy parliamentary leader for the opposition Left Party, said.

"This drought catastrophe was years in the making. You could see it coming last year and yet nothing was done. And even now, too little is being done."

Minister shoots off numbers

Maurer isn't the only one critical of the government's aid policy. Politicians from the opposition Social Democrats and Green Party too have lashed out at Berlin's response to the East Africa crisis.

Drought, conflict and a lack of food aid have left 3.6 million people at risk of starvation in southern Somalia. The drought has affected about 12 million people across the Horn of Africa.

But German Development Minister Dirk Niebel has defended his government's record, pointing out that Germany has stepped up to the plate by participating in all major funding initiatives by western powers.

"Within the framework of our humanitarian responsibilities, we've reacted very quickly to the emergency situation and have provided over 30 million Euros in bilateral aid this year," Niebel said recently in an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF.

He pointed out that Germany was also involved in the European Commission's aid fund with 32 million Euros and was supporting the World Bank's aid efforts with 35 million Euros.

Critics unmoved by promises

Beyond the cash pledges, Germany is also making efforts to prevent future outbreaks of famine by investing in rural development in East Africa, the minister added.

"Last year, we provided over 650 million Euros for rural development worldwide. And this year, we'll exceed the 700-Euro mark but it's a long-term development," Niebel said. "It's meant to minimize harvest losses, promote better cultivation methods and invest in infrastructure so that farmers can bring their products from their fields to the markets."

But critics remain unimpressed. Paul Bendix, Germany head of the aid charity Oxfam, said Niebel's emphasis on a long-term solution to the problem was out of place.

"We've been highlighting the criminal neglect of the rural region for years. It's great that Mr Niebel is doing it in the region – the only thing is that he has to do that anyway, we believe it's business as usual," Bendix said. "But this is about a crisis among people now. They can't be helped if their rural region is improved tomorrow – they're dying right now."

Bendix also cautions that the government's aid figures should be reviewed more soberly.

"For Germany, the figures are a bit conflicting but they're somewhere between 20 and 30 million Euros that have been provided," Bendix said.

"But what's always done is that Germany's own aid budget is often added together with its share of the EU and the World Bank's budget. Of course you can do that. But then you must do it for all other donors. And once you do that, Germany doesn't look too good either."

Bendix calculates that Germany must earmark a further 40 million Euros in aid if its share is to correspond with its economic clout in the world.

Author: Heiner Kessel (sp)
Editor: Anke Rasper