US to resume food aid across Ethiopia next month

According to a statement from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Washington plans to reinstate food aid for people in Ethiopia next month. This decision comes after food assistance was halted earlier this year due to concerns about stolen donations and the need for comprehensive reforms.

The food crisis in Ethiopia has worsened in recent years due to the conflict in the Tigray region and the Horn of Africa facing its most severe drought in decades.

The statement from USAID stated, “USAID is committing to a one-year trial period of the nationwide resumption, during which we will continuously monitor and evaluate the efficacy of the reforms put in place by USAID, implementing partners, and the government of Ethiopia.”

Back in June, USAID suspended food aid to Ethiopia due to concerns about stolen donations. However, last month, food assistance to refugees in the country was resumed.

Although the decision impacted multiple refugee sites, none were in Tigray. The two-year war in Tigray between the federal government and forces led by the region’s dominant political party resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and created famine-like conditions for hundreds of thousands of people.

USAID announced on Tuesday that Washington would be reinstating food aid across Ethiopia after substantial reforms of the food assistance structure by the government of Ethiopia and humanitarian partners.

According to the statement, these reforms will bring fundamental changes to Ethiopia’s food aid system, including strengthening program monitoring and oversight, as well as reinforcing commodity tracking, among other measures.

The government of Ethiopia has agreed to operational changes in their work with humanitarian partners to enhance the partners’ ability to identify beneficiaries, and has committed to providing unimpeded access for the agency and third-party monitors to review sites throughout the country.

The statement emphasized USAID’s commitment to ensuring that U.S. humanitarian assistance is used for its intended purpose and reaches the most vulnerable. It also expressed satisfaction that the important reforms will enable the delivery of food assistance to those in need in Ethiopia.

(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Jasper Ward; editing by Dan Whitcomb and Bill Berkrot)