USAID Halts Food Aid to Ethiopia Over Diversion and Theft Concerns

USAID has halted all food aid to Ethiopia, citing a "widespread and coordinated campaign" to divert aid from those in need. The move comes after USAID and the World Food Programme froze food aid to the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia last month, citing the diversion of aid shipments to local markets as the reason for the suspension. The Humanitarian Resilience Development Donor Group identified "a coordinated and criminal scheme" to divert the aid, which appears to be orchestrated by federal and regional Government of Ethiopia entities, with military units across the country benefitting from humanitarian assistance.