Over 700 people die of hunger since suspension of WFP, US food aid in northern Ethiopia

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - Over 700 people, mostly internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in camps, have died as a result of starvation and hunger in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray since the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the US halted food aid distribution in March.

The Tigray region's official Disaster Risk Management Commission reported that the majority of the 728 deaths occurred in camps housing IDPs, with the deaths occurring since the aid suspension in March of this year.

In a press conference in the region's capital of Mekelle on Thursday, the commission's head, Gebrehiwot Gebreegziabher, said data on deaths have been collected from a few regions due to insecurity making other areas inaccessible for assessment.

Several IDPs in Mekkele confirmed to Anadolu on Friday that many of them were malnourished and starving.

These camps were built to house those who had been displaced by the conflict that has ravaged the region for the past two years.

"I can no longer bear the agony of witnessing my people suffer," Ayantu Gebremedhin, a Tigray woman, told Anadolu over the phone.

"Hunger afflicts us… families are losing loved ones to starvation, and the anguish is insurmountable. We have already mourned the loss of countless lives, and people are dying of hunger," she added.

The dire situation arose after the US and WFP decided to halt food aid, saying that it was being illegally redirected to local markets, exacerbating an already dire situation.

Executive Director WFP Cindy McCain expressed her concern about food diversion and condemned the illegal sale of food aid in the market, calling the practice unacceptable.

In a statement issued in June, she welcomed the Ethiopian government's commitment to investigate food aid theft and called for those found responsible to be held accountable.

Despite the suspension of food aid assistance, the WFP assured the public that critical nutrition support for vulnerable groups would continue unabated.

Nonetheless, this decision is a severe blow to Ethiopia's already dire humanitarian situation, where millions of people are facing food insecurity and famine-like conditions.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) also initiated the halt in food aid assistance, demanding reforms in the distribution mechanisms of food aid in Ethiopia.

The Tigray conflict, which has ravaged the region for the past two years, has had a devastating and widespread impact on food security throughout Ethiopia.

The conflict disrupted agricultural activities, displacing farmers and obstructing the transportation and distribution of food.

Consequently, this also led to severe food shortages and an alarming increase in rates of hunger and malnutrition.

The assistance has been a lifeline for countless individuals, providing essential sustenance to those left vulnerable in the aftermath of the protracted conflict.