UN World Food Programme distributes food in conflicted Ethiopian parts

The United Nation World Food Programme said on February 15 it has resumed life-saving humanitarian food distribution in parts of Ethiopia following interruptions over the last 11 months due to security issues.

Amid worsening security situations in some parts of Ethiopia’s Somali regional state, particularly along the route known as the Moyale corridor, the WFP had only been able to dispatch a ‘very small quantity of food’ in Dawa Zone, a drought-affected area which also hosts thousands of internally displaced people, during 2018.

“The principal victims of these disruptions are the hundreds of thousands of food-insecure people to whom food assistance and other forms of humanitarian support are delayed or not delivered,” Supply Chain Officer of WFP, Addis Mengesha opined.

Strong collaboration between the WFP and the government of Ethiopia has led to the delivery of over 1000 tonnes of food to more than 198,600 beneficiaries, in which the majority of the vulnerable people are said to be internally displaced people and drought-affected communities since mid-January. “This is a prime example of a partnership approach between the WFP and the Ethiopian government providing results on the ground and ultimately increasing the food security of communities in Ethiopia,” Addis Mengesha opined. “Working together, we have restored an essential lifeline for some of the most vulnerable people we are here to serve,” Mengesha added.

The WFP, as one of the leading humanitarian support provider in the East African country, works with different partners in its efforts to address the humanitarian needs of drought and conflict-affected people in different parts of the country. The WFP has been a major recipient of the humanitarian donation from the government and people of China, according to the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia and WFP Ethiopia office.

In four rounds of supports, through bilateral and multilateral channels, China has so far provided an emergency aid to Ethiopia totalling about 36.6 million U.S. dollars, making it the third largest food aid contributor in Ethiopia, according to figures from Ethiopia's National Disaster Risk Management Commission. Speaking to Xinhua, Paul Anthem, Head of Communications, Donor Relations and Reports Unit at WFP Ethiopia, had previously said that the WFP has been receiving donations from the government of China for the past several years, especially for its relief and nutrition activities.

“The donations usually arrive at critical times when the country was in need of humanitarian assistance and millions required urgent nutritional support. The contributions directly benefited the poor who have been suffering from malnutrition,” Anthem added.

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