The World Food Programme (WFP) has suspended aid distribution in the northern Ethiopian town of Kombolcha after "mass looting" of its warehouses blamed on Tigrayan forces, a United Nations spokesperson said Wednesday. Stephane Dujarric told reporters there had been "mass looting of warehouses across Kombolcha in recent days, reportedly by elements of the Tigrayan forces and some members of the local population." "Large quantities of humanitarian food supplies, including nutritional items for malnourished children, have been stolen and looted," he said, warning that the looting risked increasing food insecurity in northern Ethiopia. That led to the decision to suspend food distribution in Dessie and Kombolcha, two strategic towns on the road to the capital. The Ethiopian government recently announced it had retaken the two towns, but Tigrayan forces said the army had only recovered abandoned areas after strategic withdrawals by the rebels.

Source: Ethiopian News December 09, 2021 22:45 UTC