World Food Programme, U.S. Suspend Food Aid to Ethiopia

The committee established by the interim regional administration of Tigray to investigate diversion of humanitarian food in the region has revealed that the Ethiopian federal government entities and Eritrean forces had higher roles in the widescale food aid diversion, Addis Standard reports.

The Washington Post reported previously that the U.S. government is suspending food aid to Ethiopia after an investigation uncovered a scheme to divert the food from the poor to the Ethiopian military, according to VOA. The World Food Programme (WFP) has also temporarily halted food aid to Ethiopia. The organization cited reports that supplies are being diverted to the Ethiopian military as the reason for the move. The announcement comes a day after the U.S. said it was halting its own aid programme.

New Humanitarian had earlier reported that World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director Claude Jibidar and Deputy Director Jennifer Bitonde, tendered their resignations at a staff meeting on June 2, 2023 before the findings of the investigation were released but this was denied by the WFP.

In May 2023, the United Nations World Food Programme in Ethiopia said it was "deeply concerned" over reports that significant amounts of food aid was diverted from those in desperate need in the post-conflict region of Tigray region.

Ethiopia and Tigray had been at war from November 2020, and signed a peace deal in November 2022. Hundreds of thousands of people fled to neighbouring countries to avoid the conflict and the ensuing food crisis.