Devex Dish: Former WFP Ethiopia head says no evidence for famine in Tigray
By Teresa Welsh // 01 February 2023
Was there famine or near famine in Tigray? Former World Food Programme Ethiopia Country Director Steven Were Omamo says we may never know.
Omamo wrote a book about his time in that role during the civil war in Ethiopia's northern region, and my colleague Sara Jerving spoke with him about his insistence that the evidence was not there to know whether or not famine existed in Tigray. Instead, he speculates the international community was using alarmist language to tap into the “multi-billion-dollar hunger industry.”
“Without doubt, there was deep food insecurity in Tigray. But there was no evidence of famine,” wrote Omamo, who has been criticized by some for being too close to the Ethiopian government.
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About the author
Teresa Welshtmawelsh
Teresa Welsh is a Senior Reporter at Devex. She has reported from more than 10 countries and is currently based in Washington, D.C. Her coverage focuses on Latin America; U.S. foreign assistance policy; fragile states; food systems and nutrition; and refugees and migration. Prior to joining Devex, Teresa worked at McClatchy's Washington Bureau and covered foreign affairs for U.S. News and World Report. She was a reporter in Colombia, where she previously lived teaching English. Teresa earned bachelor of arts degrees in journalism and Latin American studies from the University of Wisconsin.
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