All USAID-funded food assistance to the Tigray region of Ethiopia is on pause until further notice, the agency’s Administrator Samantha Power announced Wednesday.
The decision comes in the wake of USAID’s discovery that large amounts of food aid for people “suffering under famine-like conditions was diverted and sold on the local market.” The U.S. Agency for International Development referred the matter to its internal, independent inspector general, which has begun an investigation.
The U.S. government has raised concerns with the Ethiopian federal government and the Tigray Interim Regional Administration, both of which expressed willingness to work with USAID to identify those responsible and hold them accountable, according to Power’s statement.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
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