UK government accused of sponsoring human rights abuses in Ethiopia

UK government accused of sponsoring human rights abuses in Ethiopia

International Consortium for Investigative Journalists | Washington, DC, January 2015.

Anuak children in Gorom Refugee Camp in South Sudan. Many Anuak fled Ethiopia during a government relocation campaign called “villagization”. Photo: Andreea Campeanu/ICIJ.
Leaked Report Says World Bank Violated Own Rules in Ethiopia

A development project funded by the UK government and run by the World Bank could be facilitating a violent resettlement program in Ethiopia that has been dogged by allegations of forced displacement, physical assaults and rape, a leaked report suggests.

Britain’s Department for International Development (DfID) is the primary sponsor of the World Bank’s foreign aid initiative, supposedly set up to improve basic health, education and public services in Ethiopia. It has attracted over £388 million in UK taxpayer’s money to date.

According to a leaked report, obtained by the International Consortium for Investigative Journalists, the seemingly benign aid program is facilitating a controversial resettlement scheme driven by the Ethiopian government.

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