Controversy over BBC Report on Band Aid

Bob Geldof spoke out against the BBC for reporting that millions of pounds raised for famine relief in Ethipia by Band Aid in 1985 were used by rebels to pay for weapons. Geldof is just one of several organizers for the aid program that are infuriated by the report.

The BBC World Service reported that 95 percent of 100 million US dollars of aid which went to Ethiopia's Tigray province in 1985 was used by rebels to buy weapons. The basis for this claim were allegations made on-record by two former members of a rebel group in Tigray.

Geldof, along with the Band Aid Trust, claims these sources are not credible. "About Band Aid, not a single penny went to the armaments, not a pound, not a penny,"said Geldof.

"There is not a single shred of evidence that Band Aid or Live Aid money was diverted. Let me be clear on that, and I've also spoken to some of the others, including the Red Cross, who say it is absolute rubbish."

Geldof also says that if there was any irrefutable evidence to these claims that he would sue the Ethiopian government for the money back.

Andrew Whitehead, news and current affairs editor at the World Service, defended the report and stated that the BBC stood by it.