The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a dire warning about the escalating humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, stating that millions of people are just “one shock away from falling into catastrophe.” Zlatan Milišić, the WFP’s country director for Ethiopia, revealed that funding shortfalls are forcing the organization to halt nutritional treatment for more than 650,000 malnourished women and children beginning next month.
This alarming development comes amid a worsening hunger crisis in Ethiopia, where food insecurity continues to grow due to a combination of conflict, climate change, and economic instability. The WFP warns that unless immediate funding is secured, food aid for 3.6 million people will be suspended in the coming weeks. Without new financial support, the agency will be unable to provide any food assistance to the most vulnerable families within three months.
Ethiopia is still reeling from the aftermath of the devastating two-year civil war in the northern Tigray region, which officially ended in 2022. Meanwhile, ongoing violence in the densely populated Amhara and Oromia regions continues to displace hundreds of thousands of people. At the same time, severe drought conditions in the south-east and a growing influx of refugees from neighboring countries such as Sudan, Somalia, South Sudan, and Eritrea are compounding the crisis.
According to the WFP, the humanitarian situation is deteriorating rapidly, with hunger and malnutrition surging across the country. The agency reports that its operations are being significantly disrupted by insecurity in regions like Amhara, where rising criminal activities such as car hijackings, threats, and thefts are endangering staff and impeding food deliveries.
Despite international support, the WFP faces a funding gap of $222 million for its April to September operations in Ethiopia. The organization emphasized that although it has not been directly affected by recent cuts in foreign aid by the Trump administration, overall donor contributions have been insufficient to meet the urgent needs on the ground.
Ethiopia, home to approximately 130 million people, now finds itself at a critical juncture. Without swift intervention and increased donor support, millions could plunge deeper into hunger and malnutrition, triggering a humanitarian catastrophe with far-reaching consequences.
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