Story number 1 for 6 Jul 2000

Headlining today’s news, delegations from Ethiopia and Eritrea opened indirect talks this week as they seek to end the border conflict. The cease-fire, signed last month, will help relief and development agencies to respond to the need for food. World Concern’s Africa Director Tom LePage. “So much of the country’s logistics were taken up with supplying the front, supplying the troops. So, by the signing of that peace agreement, now more of the resources can be freed up to move relief food into the areas that need it.” LePage says long term support is the only way to promote evangelism. He says feeding the needy is their initial focus, but long term, it’s providing agricultural supplies. “People are estimating that half of the live stock in the Somali region have died due to the drought. It’s like for North America, people losing half of their bank account all in the space of a few months. It will be a long term rebuilding and a lot of that will be centered on livestock and agriculture.”