Emergency assistance for Ethiopia
- Duration
- 8 January 1985 - 2 February 1985
- Military personnel
- 2
- Fatalities
- none
- Decorations
- none
At the end of the 1970s, a civil war was raging in North Ethiopia. The Tigrayan Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) was fighting the Marxist regime of the dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam, with the aim of partitioning the Ethiopian province of Tigra.
No food
A large part of the civilian population fled to the surrounding provinces, where they sought shelter in makeshift refugee camps. A lack of rainfall meant that Ethiopia was also struck by a severe famine towards the end of 1984, which took the lives of thousands of Ethiopians, already weakened by the effects of the civil war. An international relief operation was launched. Many countries donated food and tents.
Tents and blankets
The international aid organisation Terre des Hommes asked the Dutch Ministry of Defence for help. In response, the Royal Netherlands Army supplied 20,000 blankets and 180 tents, including a few hospital tents. The Defence organisation also donated 303,750 rations. The army sent 2 soldiers to Ethiopia to supervise the erection of the tents.