New York, Ausgut 10 (EVN) — The United Nations World Food Program is cautiously resuming food aid to Ethiopia, a move that comes nearly five months after an unprecedented suspension of aid to millions of people due to the revelation of a widespread scheme to embezzle donated grain. In a significant development, the WFP is resuming small-scale distribution in select regions, while acknowledging the continued role of the government in the process.

Critics, including humanitarian organizations and healthcare workers, have vehemently decried the suspension of aid, labeling it immoral and claiming that hundreds of individuals have succumbed to hunger. The United States, however, stands firm on its decision to maintain the halt on food assistance to the East African nation as it engages in negotiations with Ethiopia’s government for an overhaul of a system long controlled by local authorities.

This suspension has left a dire impact on a staggering 20 million Ethiopians, accounting for one-sixth of the nation’s population, in addition to 800,000 refugees.

Responding to queries on Monday evening, the WFP informed The Associated Press that it has initiated the distribution of wheat to approximately 100,000 individuals across four districts in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region as of July 31. This distribution marks the commencement of trials involving “enhanced controls and measures for delivering food assistance.” The Tigray region has been grappling with post-conflict recovery following a two-year confrontation with Ethiopian forces that concluded in November.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) unveiled its decision to resume food aid distribution in segments of Ethiopia’s Tigray region, following a three-month hiatus. The suspension was initially imposed in May after widespread theft of donated resources was reported. This suspension was then expanded to encompass the entirety of Ethiopia in June, a course of action replicated by the United States. With over 20 million individuals in dire need of food assistance in Ethiopia, the second most populous nation in Africa, the country’s predicament stems from the region’s most severe drought in decades and a two-year civil conflict in Tigray. The WFP had been rendering emergency food aid to nearly six million individuals within this affected population.

Starting from July 31, the WFP has been testing and validating novel procedures to deliver food assistance across four districts in Tigray, targeting slightly over 100,000 eligible recipients. “The test distributions are being rolled out at seven food distribution points where WFP and partners have completed targeting of beneficiaries and digitally registered them,” the agency conveyed in an official statement.

While Ethiopia’s government criticized the aid suspension and launched an investigation into the allegations of theft, both the WFP and the U.S. Agency for International Development have underscored their commitment to ensuring aid reaches its intended beneficiaries before resuming full-scale assistance.

Newswires + agencies