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WORLD NEWS Thursday 17 december 2020

E.U. postpones $109 million aid to Ethiopia over Tigray access

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — for development coopera-
The European Union has tion with Ethiopia from 2014
postponed 90 million euros through 2020, of which 500
($109 million) in budgetary million euros ($608 million)
support to Ethiopia over has been in direct support
lack of access to the coun- to the budget.
try's Tigray region to deliver Ethiopian officials have
humanitarian aid amid the not yet responded to the
conflict. EU's announcement of the
The delay in the funding, postponement.
which was supposed to Ethiopia's federal govern-
be paid at the end of the ment started taking military
year, was confirmed to The measures against the Tigray
Associated Press Wednes- region's leadership after it
day by a top EU diplomat said its forces based in the
in Ethiopia's capital, Addis region sustained 'inhumane
Ababa. attacks' in early November.
"A 90 million euro budget Ethiopia's Prime Minister,
support disbursement that Abiy Ahmed, declared vic-
was supposed to be made tory two weeks ago but lo-
at the end of this year has Part of the Umm Rakouba refugee camp, hosting people who fled the conflict in the Tigray region cal reports suggest there
been postponed," Ambas- of Ethiopia, in Qadarif, eastern Sudan, Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. are still some clashes in cer-
sador Johan Borgstam, Associated Press tain locations. Thousands of
EU Head of Delegation to people are feared to have
Ethiopia, said in a phone ian access to Tigray for re- countries are allowed to do Tigray, a process that we died in the conflict that pit-
interview. He added that lief actors so that people in so and that mechanisms know has already been ted Ethiopia's federal gov-
other EU aid programs will need can be reached and are put in place to investi- started by the government. ernment against the Tigray
continue. there is an end to ethnic- gate allegations of human This will be crucial to un- Peoples' Liberation Front, a
"The reason for the decision based targeting," he said. rights violations, he said. derstand the needs on the party that dominated Ethi-
to postpone the budget The EU also seeks the gov- "Furthermore, it's important ground," he said. opian politics for 27 years
support disbursements is ernment's assurance that for the media to have ac- The EU is one of Ethiopia's until the Nobel Peace Prize-
that the EU first wants to see civilians who want to seek cess and the restoration largest donors, allocating winning Abiy came to pow-
granting of full humanitar- refuge in neighboring of all communications in 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion) er in April 2018. q

India's top court offers to mediate to end farmers' protest

By ASHOK SHARMA the capital. "Your negotiations with pro-
NEW DELHI (AP) — India's Police said they were inves- testing farmers have not
Supreme Court on Wednes- tigating the circumstances worked apparently until
day offered to set up a of his death. Singh told re- now," the Press Trust of In-
mediation panel to end a porters that police found dia news agency cited
three-week protest by tens a note from the priest in the judges as telling gov-
of thousands of farmers which he said he was sacri- ernment Solicitor-General
who are demanding the ficing his life "to express an- Tushar Mehta.
repeal of new agricultural ger and pain against the In addition to blocking the
reform laws that they say government injustice." movement of people, the
will drive down crop prices Indian media reports have massive protest has dealt
and devastate their earn- said he went to his car and a blow to manufacturing
ings. allegedly shot himself. and business in northern In-
The court sent notices to the Police officer Ganga Ram dia.
government and the farm- Punia declined to provide The protesting farmers say
ers' representatives across details while an autopsy the laws will lead to the
the country seeking their was being carried out in cartelization and commer-
views on the proposal and Karnal, a town in Haryana cialization of agriculture
set Thursday as the date for state. and make farmers vulner-
a possible decision. Opposition Congress party able to corporate greed.
The farmers have been leader Rahul Gandhi in a Protest leaders have reject-
blocking half a dozen ma- tweet blamed the govern- ed the government's offer
jor highways on the out- ment's apathy toward the to amend some conten-
skirts of New Delhi for three priest's death and urged tious provisions of the laws.
weeks and say they won't the government to meet Farmers fear the govern-
leave until the government the farmers' demands. ment will stop buying grain
quashes what they call the Earlier, Chief Justice S.A. at minimum guaranteed
"black laws" passed by Par- Bobde and Justices A.S. Bo- prices and corporations
liament in September. panna and V. Ramasubra- will then push prices down.
Darshan Pal Singh, a Sikh manian made the offer to Prime Minister Narendra
leader, said a 68-year-old set up the panel after five Modi's government has
Sikh priest allegedly shot rounds of talks failed to end said it is willing to pledge
and killed himself at a pro- the impasse between the that guaranteed prices
test site on the outskirts of government and farmers. continue. q