UN suspends life-saving aid for malnourished women and children in Ethiopia

Ethiopia, a nation facing dire humanitarian crises, is seeing millions of its residents approaching a state of catastrophe primarily due to funding shortfalls for food aid. The World Food Program (WFP) has urgently reported that it will suspend critical nutritional treatment for approximately 650,000 women and children suffering from malnutrition, starting in May 2025, if the funding situation does not improve. This decision comes amid escalating violence and the ongoing fallout from the civil war that plagued the Tigray region until 2022. The country’s current conflicts in the Amhara and Oromia regions, along with severe drought conditions, result in instability that exacerbates food insecurity and malnutrition among vulnerable populations. Moreover, the WFP is warning that 3.6 million people will lose access to food aid within a few weeks if no urgent financial assistance is provided. The humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia has roots in various escalating factors such as economic pressures from the COVID-19 pandemic, prolonged conflict, and environmental challenges like droughts. A significant influx of refugees from neighboring countries contributes to the pressure on already strained resources. Zlatan Milisic, the WFP’s Country Director in Ethiopia, emphasized that without a prompt and robust response from donors, the organization will struggle to deliver life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable communities. With Ethiopia's population nearly reaching 130 million, these challenges are intensifying as individuals being displaced add to the hardships facing current residents, especially women and children. While the WFP has received some aid from multiple donors, a reported shortfall of $222 million is critical for sustaining operations from April to September 2025. Following the suspension of food shipments to Tigray in May 2023 due to reported diversions of supplies, the need for transparent and efficient distribution of food resources has become even more pressing. Current reports also indicate that security issues such as violence and criminal activity are increasingly complicating humanitarian efforts, jeopardizing the safety of aid workers and the delivery of food supplies, which are vital for survival. As the situation unfolds, international organizations and governments are faced with the urgent challenge of reassessing their support to avert a worsening disaster. The deteriorating conditions paint a bleak picture for Ethiopia's most at-risk populations, with many being just