Geldof-BBC aid dispute hits diplomatic circles
Mar 14
The dispute between the BBC World Service and Bob Geldof over the diversion of aid money raised in the 1980s Live Aid concerts has continued to escalate, with Ethiopia’s top diplomat to Britain calling for an official apology from the broadcaster.
Ethiopia’s ambassador to Britain, Berhanu Kebede, said today that the BBC had lost its credibility in Africa because of a report examining where Live Aid money designated for famine relief actually went.
As previously reported in TSR, the BBC’s Africa editor Martin Plaut aired claims from former Ethiopian rebels that large sums of money – up to 95 per cent – may have been siphoned off to rebel groups, including for the purpose of buying arms.
Speaking to The Observer, Kebede echoed calls from Bob Geldof – the founder and face of the Live Aid efforts – for a full apology from the BBC.
“To question the integrity of organisations like Band Aid, the Red Cross, Christian Aid, it is laughable. If the BBC want to investigate something from 25 years ago, they should have talked to a lot more people who were there.
“In Ethiopia, people on both sides laugh at this idea. They know it would have been a suicide mission to divert the aid money and let people starve; it makes no sense and it is unacceptable. For the BBC’s own credibility, it has to apologise for this disgrace.”
Despite calls from Geldof for Plaut’s sacking, senior figures at the BBC – including the World Service’s director Peter Horrocks and its news chief Andrew Whitehead – have persistently backed Plaut.
The BBC’s stance is that the nine-month investigation leading to the broadcast of the Assignment documentary was rigorous and that the report contained several viewpoints which opposed the claims about aid siphoning.
The veracity of the report is a major issue for aid agencies and the Ethiopian government, as the claims could potentially undermine public perceptions of aid efforts in disadvantaged countries.
Media Spy discussion: BBC World Service
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Cyril Washbrook March 14th 2010