“We have made the difficult decision to halt all USAID-supported food assistance to the Tigray region until further notice,” agency administrator Samantha Power said.
Power added in a statement to the agency that the United States is Ethiopia’s largest donor and will remain committed to the Ethiopian people.
She pointed out that the agency recently revealed that aid intended for Tigray residents suffering from starvation-like conditions had been diverted and sold in local markets.
The agency immediately referred the matter to its inspector general’s office, who launched an investigation and launched a full review of the program.
As part of the investigation, US officials traveled to Ethiopia for further assessment.
After evaluating in conjunction with the US Embassy in Addis Ababa and the agency’s implementing partners, the agency concluded that the best course of action was to temporarily halt assistance.
She said U.S. officials had expressed concern about the matter to their counterparts in the Ethiopian and Tigray federal government.
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