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Resuming Food Assistance to Ethiopia

October 2023 saw two major global organizations resume food assistance to Ethiopia and its refugees.

On October 5 and October 9, respectively, both the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) announced they were again beginning to provide nutritional aid and food assistance to Ethiopia, specifically the country’s refugee populations. This comes after a pause in June 2023, when both USAID and the WFP suspended provisions after receiving reports of aid diversions.

The Situation

Ethiopia is a landlocked East African country, with a population of 116.5 million people. Following a two-year civil war in the Ethiopian region of northern Tigray — formally resolved in November 2022 — residents and refugees alike have found themselves in need of aid. Conflict has left 9.4 million people requiring food assistance throughout the Tigray, Afar and Amhara regions. Additionally, severe drought in Ethiopia, a product of five consecutive seasons without adequate rainfall, has meant 11.8 million in the nation are facing extreme hunger. 

Assistant executive director of the WFP, Valerie Guarnieri, highlighted the widespread issue following the recent announcements to resume aid. “Food is a lifeline for refugees living in unimaginably hard conditions,” said Guarnieri, “and it’s a relief that we now have measures in place to resume vital support.” 

The Efforts of USAID and WFP

In their announcements, USAID and the WFP outlined effective plans of action to resume and maintain food assistance and combat the diversion of aid. In its press release, USAID reemphasized its pledge to provide for the most vulnerable refugee populations facing food insecurity. The nongovernmental organization stressed its disapproval for events in the past year, firmly stating that any diverting of its assistance is “unacceptable.” Relating to this, it announced the appointment of a “new agency coordinator” in Washington who will work to oversee the implementation of aid across the world and ensure that provisions from the U.S. are not mismanaged or diverted away from those most in need.

The WFP, on the other hand, pointed out in its press release that around 35,000 refugees in Ethiopia are in urgent need of food assistance, after fleeing from conflict in neighboring Sudan. It also noted how Ethiopia is currently hosting a further 850,000 individuals fleeing from Somalia, Eritrea and South Sudan. With this in mind, in its announcement to resume aid, the WFP has pledged to provide refugees with resources such as pulses, cereals, salt and vegetable oil, as well as promising some of the vulnerable with additional cash assistance.

Like USAID, the WFP have worked to prevent future issues of aid diversion: The organization now exclusively manages each and every warehouse in Ethiopian refugee camps, and updated systems have been implemented for the tracking and collection of resources. The WFP has improved face-to-face support systems for refugees in Ethiopia at risk of having their food assistance diverted, placing help desks on-site and introducing an anonymous hotline for feedback and potential reporting.

The European Union’s Pledge

Food assistance to Ethiopia represents part of an international effort to end extreme poverty in the nation. Just days before USAID and the WFP announced they would be resuming aid, on October 3, 2023, the European Union pledged $680 million in support to Ethiopia, a package that the outbreak of civil war delayed. The original aim was for funding to undergo disbursal among Ethiopians from 2021 to 2027. Ahmed Shide, finance minister for Ethiopia, said the deal demonstrated the “strategic importance” of the Ethiopia–EU partnership. Jutta Urpilainen, the European commissioner for international partnerships, also said that the EU aims to “rebuild a mutually reinforcing partnership” with Ethiopia, with the goal of ensuring political peace and stability in the nation. 

Looking Ahead

Overall, global efforts to provide food assistance to Ethiopia and its refugees signal a step in the right direction. Concentrating aid in the regions with the most vulnerable populations — and ensuring all attempts at aid diversion promptly stop — is sure to reduce severe hunger in Ethiopia, contributing to the fight to end global extreme poverty. 

– Alice Weatherley
Photo: Unsplash