CNN —The US government’s humanitarian agency has suspended food aid to Ethiopia after determining “that a widespread and coordinated campaign is diverting food assistance from the people of Ethiopia” – a nation where more than 20 million people require food support. A source familiar with the matter told CNN the agency found that food assistance was being diverted both before and after being given to beneficiaries. The decision to suspend food assistance to Ethiopia came after USAID first announced a pause to aid in the Tigray region in early May. The source familiar with the matter told CNN Thursday that once the scheme was discovered in Tigray, USAID redoubled its efforts to look more exhaustively at food assistance across the country, which led them to the determination that the campaign was happening nationwide. “The Secretary welcomed the Ethiopian government’s commitment to work together to conduct a full investigation into the diversion of U.S. food assistance and to hold accountable those found responsible,” a readout from the US State Department said.

Source: Ethiopian News June 09, 2023 01:13 UTC