US alleges illicit sale of food aid in Tigray, pauses shipments
Sacks of food at the Um Rakuba refugee camp in Tigray.
The United States aid agency (USAID) stated that the shipments of food, which were being sent to the war-torn Tigray region of Ethiopia, have been paused after they discovered that the aid was being illegally sold in the local market.
The announcement was made by USAID administrator Samantha Power in a statement on Wednesday stating that the food aid was intended “for the people of Tigray suffering under famine-like conditions”.
“We have made the difficult decision to pause all USAID-supported food assistance in the Tigray region until further notice,” said Power.
She further stated that the matter was investigated by USAID’s Office of the Inspector General and the halt was decided as the “best course of action” for the time.
No major return to fighting took place after a peace deal was signed by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian government in November.
However, the issue of food security has remained unresolved even after a blockade was lifted by the government on the northern region which was imposed when the fighting broke out in 2020 so that a free flow of aid can take place.
The move by USAID comes days after it was reported by the Associated Pressthat the remaining aid deliveries were suspended by World Food Programme (WFP) after an internal investigation revealed the theft of food in the war-torn region, where 20 million people are in dire need of humanitarian support.
In a statement, Power on Wednesday said that the United States “has raised its concerns with officials from both the Ethiopian federal government and the Tigray Interim Regional Administration”.
She stated that both the regional and federal authorities had expressed their willingness to help identify those responsible.
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“USAID stands ready to restart paused food assistance only when strong oversight measures are in place and we are confident that assistance will reach the intended vulnerable populations,” Power said.
She further stated that other “vital assistance not implicated in the diversion scheme will continue, including life-saving nutritional supplements, safe drinking water, and support for agricultural activities and development”.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the government of Ethiopia and the southern-based Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) concluded the first round of peace talks without any concrete agreements.
The two sides, however, expressed their commitment to continue the talks.
(With inputs from agencies)
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