After a five-month delay, the United States has stated that it will resume food aid deliveries to Ethiopian refugees.
This comes after Addis Ababa authorities decided to stop delivering the supplies.
Washington suspended aid in May – following a similar move by the UN – saying it had found “widespread and coordinated” theft of food aid.
According to a statement issued by USAid, the Ethiopian government’s reforms that led to the resumption of aid include enhancing monitoring and oversight as well as increasing commodity tracking.
Additionally Ethiopia has “transferred responsibility” for dispatching and warehousing of food aid, It added.
Hundreds of thousands of refugees currently residing in Ethiopia – mostly from neighbouring countries like Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea – will benefit from the resumption of aid.
However, food assistance for the roughly 20 million Ethiopians who are currently in dire need of humanitarian assistance has been suspended.
At least 1,400 people have starved to death in the conflict-torn province of Tigray, according to officials, while scores more have perished in the neighboring Amhara region where recent conflicts are exacerbated by drought.
