ETHIOPIA Donors plan to rescind $375M of aid after government action

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) -- International donors will withdraw $375 million worth of aid to Ethiopia's government after its recent crackdown on the main opposition party and the independent press, Western diplomats said Thursday.
The money will be reallocated to the U.N. and aid agencies working to combat poverty among the bulk of Ethiopia's estimated 77 million people who live on less than a dollar a day. Some of the money could also finance programs intended to strengthen democracy, the diplomats said on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to strain ties with officials.
Political deaths
Political unrest claimed the lives of at least 46 people in November. Forty-two died in June in similar protests, which began after the main opposition parties accused authorities of rigging May 15 polls that returned Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to power.
Thousands of people were detained in the subsequent crackdown, including leaders of the main opposition group, journalists and aid workers.
Meles has said the opposition deliberately stirred up the violence in a bid to topple the government.
Ethiopia receives some $1.9 billion in aid a year -- the largest recipient of foreign assistance in Africa. About $700 million is for emergency assistance while the rest is for development programs. Aid accounts for up to a third of the government's entire budget.
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