By Ebi Kesiena
After five months of suspending food aid to millions of people in Ethiopia, United Nations World Food Program (WFP) on Tuesday stated that it is slowly resuming food aid to people in need.
According to WFP, it is testing small-scale distribution in some areas but acknowledges that the government still plays a role in the process.
In March last year, WFP halted food deliveries to Tigray after discovering the theft of grain. In a single Tigray town, enough stolen food aid to feed 134,000 people for a month was found for sale in markets, still marked with the U.S. flag.
The suspension was extended to all of Ethiopia in June, the U.S., the largest humanitarian donor to Ethiopia.
The pause has affected 20 million Ethiopians which is 1/6 of the population plus 800,000 refugees.
Critics of the aid suspension, including aid groups and health workers, have called it immoral and alleged that hundreds of people have died of hunger.
The U.S., however, says its own suspension of food aid to the East African country will continue while it negotiates with Ethiopia’s government for reforms of the system long controlled by local authorities.
Associated Press reports that in a written response on Monday evening to question WFP stated that, it has started distributing wheat to around 100,000 people in four districts of Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region since July 31 as it has instituted measures to test enhanced controls and procedures for delivering food assistance.
WFP also noted that the new measures include digitally registering beneficiaries, adding markings to grain sacks, feedback hotlines and more training for aid partners.
Therefore, the agency said that it hopes to roll out its new distribution system to other parts of Ethiopia as soon as possible, adding that it’s confident the measures will help to ensure food reaches the people who need it most.
