UN halts food aid to Tigray, cites misappropriation

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) suspended its food distribution in Ethiopia's Tigray region on Thursday.

The WFP announcement comes a day after the US Agency for International Development (USAID) discovered that vital aid intended for people in Tigray was being "diverted and sold on the local market."

The WFP said it will not resume food distribution in Tigray until it can ensure that the "aid reaches its intended recipients."

Tigray in famine-like conditions

Both the WFP and USAID have paused food shipments to Ethiopia's Tigray region, which is suffering from famine-like conditions.

Some 84% of the region has been in a food crisis, according to WFP data.

However, Samantha Power, chief of USAID, said  the organization would continue to deliver food supplements, drinking water and agricultural supplies to Tigray.

The organizations did not specify who was responsible for the misappropriations or when it had taken place.

"WFP is also strongly reiterating to our cooperating partners that they monitor and report any illicit activities, and that they are enforcing the agreed controls," the WFP said in a statement.

The two agencies have raised the issue with the Ethiopian government and regional authorities in Tigray.

The conflict that caused the hunger

In November 2020, a two-year war erupted between the federal government and forces led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced millions and caused famine-like situations for hundreds of people.

Last November, the government and the TPLF struck a peace agreement that allowed additional aid to reach the region.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to arrive in Ethiopia on Thursday as part of a three-day trip to East Africa.

Among the topics to be discussed is the peace process after the armed conflict in Tigray.

ns/sms (AFP, Reuters)