The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) halted food aid to Ethiopia on Thursday, citing "a widespread and coordinated campaign" to divert donated commodities away from the poor, as Addis Abeba vowed to hold culprits accountable.

"We made the difficult but necessary decision that we cannot move forward with the distribution of food assistance until reforms are in place," the US government's major overseas aid agency said.

"Our intention is to resume food assistance immediately once we are confident in the integrity of delivery systems to get assistance to its intended recipients," the statement continued.

PHOTO | COURTESY food aid

Millions of Ethiopians are facing acute food shortages due to a terrible war in Tigray's northern area and a punishing drought in the south and southeast, which has also affected Somalia and parts of Kenya.

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The US agency has spoken with Ethiopia's government about the issue, and the two parties stated on Thursday that they were committed to addressing the "deeply concerning revelations of food aid diversion."

In a joint statement, USAID and Ethiopia's foreign ministry announced, "The two governments are conducting investigations to hold the perpetrators of such diversion accountable."

The decision follows last month's announcement by USAID and the World Food Programme (WFP) to halt food supplies to Tigray after the agencies discovered that shipments were being diverted to local markets.

Neither USAID nor the World Food Programme has identified persons responsible for accepting and reselling supplies.

According to a statement released by USAID in March of this year, the United States "remains the single largest humanitarian donor to Ethiopia, providing more than $1.8 billion in lifesaving assistance since fiscal year 2022."