The World Food Programme (WFP), a United Nations agency, announced this week that it has had to halt nutritional support for 650,000 children and women suffering from famine in Ethiopia due to severe funding shortages.
This decision comes at a critical time as the country is grappling with various humanitarian crises, ranging from droughts to internal conflicts, exacerbating the hardships of its population, particularly vulnerable groups like pregnant women and children.
According to the WFP, over 10 million people in Ethiopia are currently facing food shortages, including 3 million who have been displaced due to harsh weather conditions.
The agency also reported that Ethiopia is hosting millions of Sudanese refugees who fled their homeland due to the ongoing conflict there, and these refugees are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
A refugee camp for Sudanese nationals in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. (Al Jazeera)
Ethiopia is facing a severe food crisis, worsened by years of drought and internal conflicts, notably the Tigray War (2020-2022), which left over 600,000 people dead.
Funding Shortages
Zlatan Milisic, the WFP’s deputy director in Ethiopia, stated that relief operations are now at a breaking point due to the lack of funds.
In a video press conference from Geneva, Milisic emphasized that the WFP had no choice but to suspend aid for 650,000 children and women in Ethiopia.
According to the WFP, around 3.6 million more people are at risk of losing their food assistance in the coming stages unless urgent funding is secured, posing a serious threat to the food security of millions of Ethiopians.
The WFP has traditionally received funding and support from 20 different donors, but recently some contributors, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), have reduced their support.
