NAIROBI -The United States Agency for International Development says it has suspended all food aid to Ethiopia, Africa's second most-populous country, after an internal investigation found supplies intended for needy people were being diverted on a “widespread” scale. “As a result, we made the difficult but necessary decision that we cannot move forward with distribution of food assistance until reforms are in place.”The U.S. is the biggest single donor to Ethiopia, providing US$1.8 billion in humanitarian assistance, including food aid, in the 2022 fiscal year. An internal memo prepared by a group of humanitarian donors and seen by the AP pointed to the involvement of Ethiopia’s federal government in the diversion of food aid. The USAID announcement comes after both USAID and the United Nations World Food Program last month said they had suspended aid to Ethiopia's northern Tigray region while they investigated allegations of food aid theft, which were first reported by the AP in April. With food aid suspended in the region, doctors in Tigray have reported an alarming rise in hunger.

Source: Ethiopian News June 09, 2023 03:33 UTC