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Geldof lashes out for Africa
Mr. Geldof criticised rich Western nations for failing Africa, as he headed back to Ethiopia to highlight the plight of millions facing starvation. Geldof, returning to the African state nearly 20 years after his first visit inspired the Live Aid concert, described food donations to the continent - especially from the European Union - as "pathetic".
Rock star Bob Geldof is beginning a five-day trip to Ethiopia to once again highlight the plight of millions of people facing starvation in the African country.
Figures from the UN children's aid agency, Unicef, suggest Ethiopia is in the middle of a humanitarian emergency with 14 million people, many of them children, dependent on food aid.
His five-day mission is timed to raise public interest ahead of the G8 summit of the main industrialised nations in France on June 1 in order to kick-start action from political leaders.
The musician and businessman - who received an honorary knighthood in 1986 -jetted off from Heathrow Airport for the trip which will begin in the country's capital, Addis Ababa, with a press conference.
Geldof, whose first visit to Ethiopia almost 20 years ago inspired Band Aid and Live Aid, said before he left the UK: "The G8 meeting is next week and I think it is going to be somewhat characterised by political spite and backbiting over what has happened in Iraq.
"But meanwhile, further south is another country which is facing an utter catastrophe this summer because it has failed to receive over two-thirds of the food requirements that have been promised."
He said he recognised that the US and British governments were at the forefront of helping to improve the situation in Africa, but he added that it was wrong to make the fight on terrorism a priority.
"If there is a war on terror then there has to be a war on poverty," he said.
Geldof, who raised millions for the famine-stricken country in the 1980s, will include in his tour visits to therapeutic feeding centres in the south and projects aimed at making water safe to drink.
He will also meet a group of girls benefiting from a Saturday morning tutorial programme and visit clubs set up to help Aids victims.
A Unicef spokeswoman said: "What we have here is a much more complex emergency than the drought crisis of 20 years ago.
"This time it is compounded by HIV/Aids which has weakened medical systems and coping ability at the family level.
"Unicef is grateful for Bob Geldof's visit right now because it will help draw global attention to the new mix of challenges we must overcome to build a more peaceful, stable world - a world that is truly fit for children."
Content © ITV Network Limited. All Rights Reserved
Figures from the UN children's aid agency, Unicef, suggest Ethiopia is in the middle of a humanitarian emergency with 14 million people, many of them children, dependent on food aid.
His five-day mission is timed to raise public interest ahead of the G8 summit of the main industrialised nations in France on June 1 in order to kick-start action from political leaders.
The musician and businessman - who received an honorary knighthood in 1986 -jetted off from Heathrow Airport for the trip which will begin in the country's capital, Addis Ababa, with a press conference.
Geldof, whose first visit to Ethiopia almost 20 years ago inspired Band Aid and Live Aid, said before he left the UK: "The G8 meeting is next week and I think it is going to be somewhat characterised by political spite and backbiting over what has happened in Iraq.
"But meanwhile, further south is another country which is facing an utter catastrophe this summer because it has failed to receive over two-thirds of the food requirements that have been promised."
He said he recognised that the US and British governments were at the forefront of helping to improve the situation in Africa, but he added that it was wrong to make the fight on terrorism a priority.
"If there is a war on terror then there has to be a war on poverty," he said.
Geldof, who raised millions for the famine-stricken country in the 1980s, will include in his tour visits to therapeutic feeding centres in the south and projects aimed at making water safe to drink.
He will also meet a group of girls benefiting from a Saturday morning tutorial programme and visit clubs set up to help Aids victims.
A Unicef spokeswoman said: "What we have here is a much more complex emergency than the drought crisis of 20 years ago.
"This time it is compounded by HIV/Aids which has weakened medical systems and coping ability at the family level.
"Unicef is grateful for Bob Geldof's visit right now because it will help draw global attention to the new mix of challenges we must overcome to build a more peaceful, stable world - a world that is truly fit for children."
Content © ITV Network Limited. All Rights Reserved
For more information:
http://www.itv.com/news/63076.html
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