The United Nations has suspended its food aid to Ethiopia because of the embezzlement of aid supplies. The donations were apparently resold. In the future, the distribution will be controlled more closely.
As aid supplies and food were apparently diverted and resold on a large scale, the UN World Food Program (WFP) has temporarily suspended its aid deliveries to Ethiopia.
The diversion of food donations is absolutely unacceptable, said WFP chief Cindy McCain. The organization welcomes the fact that the Ethiopian government has announced investigations and wants to hold those responsible accountable. The US development agency USAID also suspended its support for the time being because of the embezzlement of aid supplies.
With technology against embezzlement
WFP said it would continue to implement certain programs for malnourished children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and school meals. At the same time, work is being done to better track and control the distribution of food in the future.
To this end, for example, there should be more direct cooperation with the affected communities. The WFP wants to use new technology to determine the identity of those in need and to be able to trace the delivery to the families. “We have to work together to learn from this and prevent something like this from happening again in the future,” McCain said.
20 million people need help
Due to drought and conflicts in the region, around 20 million of Ethiopia’s 120 million population are dependent on food aid. Much of this comes from WFP and USAID. In recent months there has been growing evidence that food supplies in Africa’s second most populous country had been diverted and resold.
At the beginning of May, WFP and USAID had already stopped their aid to the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia, which had been destroyed after a civil war, and initiated investigations. “WFP takes this issue very seriously and will take all necessary steps to ensure critical food aid reaches those who need it most,” the World Food Program said.
WFP received the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize for its work. At the same time, there have been repeated allegations of abuse and corruption in the distribution of vital food aid over the past few decades.