
Ethiopia: World Food Programme (WFP) – WFP response to ESAT news broadcast at 20:00hrs on 12 July 2021 (15.07.2021)




“The federal government plans to get 66.8 billion Br (1.5 billion dollars at the current exchange rate) in foreign aid to finance its budget deficit for the fiscal year, projected to reach 144 billion Br. This is amidst backlash from the western world over the war in Tigray and the subsequent humanitarian crisis in northern Ethiopia. Parliament has passed the budget bill, unanimously, comprising 561 billion Br for the 2021/22 fiscal year, which began last week” (Addis Fortune – ‘Ethiopia Hopes for $1.5b in Foreign Aid to Finance Looming Budget Deficit’ 12.07.2021).
The Prosperity Party and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali after the failure of his policies, government actions and his inability to get positive feedback from the Western powers. Are now seeking to get $1.5 Billion U.S. Dollars in this budget year.
This is happening after the European Union come with another unfavourable resolutions. The EU has already seized aid or suspended to pay for certain programs. That has happen as a result of the warfare, which has been vicious since early November 2020. This has undercut the ideals of the donors and who they want to support.
That’s why it’s really risky of Finfinne or the Prosperity Party to seek for that amount of money. Unless, they are willing to loan from dubious sources and take out loans it cannot carry. Since, the United States and EU isn’t doling away funds for nothing. This is why the Addis Ababa government needs to redefine its goals or what they want to achieve.
Prime Minister Abiy have clearly lost his momentum and destroyed his good name. The whole “reformist” agenda isn’t for sale anymore. Neither is the belief that he will do any good. When he has done what he could destroy the Tigray region. Neither has he opened up the political space or given the media more freedom. As journalists are arrested and media houses are closed. Opposition parties are blocked from the polls and their leaders are behind bars on “political motivated” charges.
That’s why it’s really rich and naive to think that this man and his party will deliver the goods. The EU and US is in the rights to spend the taxpayers money elsewhere. Since, this government could easily spend the deficit to boost the army again and pay mercenaries to target Tigray even more.
Abiy clearly didn’t plan ahead, but went all in thinking he would be supreme. That he had consolidated all power and gotten a better relations with Asmara. Now, his in the same veins as Afewerki. These are not positive role models or showing the opportunities of the Horn of Africa.
The Prosperity Party hopes the foreign powers will bail them out. They hope someone will come and give them money without any strings. The sovereign who needed Eritrea to kill their own. Is now wondering why certain donors doesn’t want give them funds anymore. That all makes sense.
Not everyone is favours of Warlords and the ones who might kill their own to get more political power. That is not the sort of leader and sort of system that creates stability. That only creates more conflict and it could easily spiral out of control. This is why the Addis Ababa government is sanctioned and isn’t in good favours with plenty.
The bullets, the ammo and the use of force has cost. Not only has it depleted and destroyed the reputation of Abiy. It has also shown the true colours of it and that’s why they are not willing to invest in it. The current leadership needs to evaluate itself and maybe the PP needs to rethink its strategy. Since the Prime Minister and all his Yes-Men will not get monetary support for self-destruction. Even if that seems to be a deal Abiy takes every day of the week. Peace.

As of June 2021, about 5.5 million people in Tigray and neighbouring Afar and Amhara are in high acute food insecurity.
ROME, Italy, July 7, 2021 – The ongoing conflict in Tigray has led to a humanitarian crisis characterized by alarmingly high levels of food insecurity, gender-based violence, widespread displacement, limited access to services, and the destruction of the local economy.
The conflict commenced at the peak of the main agricultural season (Meher) harvest period when many households had not yet harvested their crops. It is estimated that over 90 percent of the crop harvest was lost (looted, burned and/or destroyed), while 15 percent of the region’s 17 million livestock were reported looted or slaughtered. Given that the majority of Tigrayans depend on subsistence agriculture (80 percent rely on agriculture as their main source of food and livelihood), the loss of their harvest and production inputs has severely impacted their food security and nutrition.
As of June 2021, about 5.5 million people in Tigray and neighbouring Afar and Amhara are in high acute food insecurity, representing nearly 61 percent of the analyzed population. A total of 353 000 people are in Catastrophe level of acute food insecurity (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification [IPC] Phase 5) in Tigray alone, the highest numbers recorded in the last decade. There are approximately 2.1 million people in Phase 4 (Emergency) and 3.1 million in Phase 3 (Crisis), a large number of whom, if supported with agricultural inputs, would avoid falling into IPC Phase 5 and destitution.
Nearly 93 percent of the population in northern Ethiopia requires emergency assistance (more than 5.5 million people). After failing to harvest in 2020, the consequences of missing the 2021 season may be dire, as most households depend on their own production for food and income. If support is not provided immediately, the next harvest will be in 18 months. This scenario has far-reaching food security and nutrition consequences.
Prior to the conflict, the food system (production, transportation, processing, packaging, storage, retail, consumption, loss and waste) fed and supported the livelihoods of a vast majority of Tigray’s population. Even though households in Tigray were repeatedly exposed to multiple shocks, such as drought, desert locust infestations and the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, most of them were able to cope, as demonstrated by the results of various food security assessments.
Thanks to a contribution of USD 500 000 from the Government of Belgium through SFERA, FAO is implementing a project that will directly benefit 11 000 households (55 000 people). Beneficiaries will be provided with assorted agricultural inputs (short-cycle/drought-tolerant seeds including onion, teff and tomato) and trainings on good agronomic practices. Additionally, the project will support coordination efforts at the regional level to improve the collection and dissemination of information on agricultural interventions by Disaster Risk Management – Agriculture Task Force partners to enhance their planning and targeting.
The project will be implemented in collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders, including government, United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations and the private sector.


The recent interview Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali had with Fana Television. Shows that he has no heart and no shame. He doesn’t mind the atrocities, fatalities and the horrific actions done on his orders. His willing to target and blame humanitarian organizations and civil society who is there on a mission to heal, shelter and patch the hurt, which he has created since November 2020 in the Tigray Region.
When he claims the Western organizations, the United Nations Organizations and the Aid Organizations has another agenda. They have hidden motives and are arming the Tigay People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). You know he has lost his marbles.
Yes, in the past CIA and other used various of methods to arm and stop the Derg. That was part of the cold-war effort to get rid of a pro-communist government in Addis Ababa. This is now history and the U.S. cannot deflect from that. Neither, all the other supporters of it.
However, the state has created a quagmire. They have blocked the citizens from their fields, taking care of their livestock and livelihood. As the warfare is prolonged for months. There been reports of a high level of famine for over 300,000 people and even more in dire distress. There been reports from the state authorities and the interim government of Tigray. That there is a lack of agricultural output and most of the production has ceased since the conflict started.
So, when people are not producing food. When the state is blocking is aid convoys and making it hard for aid organizations to operate. When the state is doing the bare minimum and barely that. Then you got a famine on your hands. This is a self-inflicted famine caused by the months of war. It didn’t happen over night, but it is a cause and a effect.
This is a disgrace. That the Prime Minister claims its a manufactured famine. In some regards it is, because this isn’t as a result of climate change or lack of rain. No, this is because of the warfare and the conflict. That has torn the Tigray region apart and destroyed the regions farms and their agricultural output.
So, when he says it a sham. Does this man have to two brain-cells to work together? Because, when you make an action. No matter what it is… in the end you have an reaction. After an reaction… you can usually see somewhat of a result. If you like that result or digest the effort. That is another thing. However, any reasonable man see that and accepts it.
Why did I say that? Well, when you have caused warfare. Taken it to the villages, the towns and the woredas of Tigray. There is with easy reason and it is already established by the authorities itself. That the food production is suffering as a cause of it. Therefore, the famine is real and isn’t a sham created by the UN organizations or a new Live-Aid rip-off organization. No, it’s the real deal and the Prime Minister better act upon it.
His soldiers and allies are already blocking and making it impossible for the aid organizations to properly function in the region. Secondly, it is not strange… when they have such an attitude and is so paranoid, as the Prime Minister seems to be. Instead, of thinking that these organizations are actually saving lives. They are actually doing the job where his government have failed. His government has failed this people and is the reason why these folks are starving. That is the truth of it all…
And even then his shamefully saying to the world… that he doesn’t trust the people who comes there to cover for his own failing. That’s the delusion and it shouldn’t be real. However, this man doesn’t have a heart or concern of the population. He only values the grandeur of his office and that he was able to consolidate all power. Peace.

United Nations humanitarian agencies have not been able to reach or provide life-saving assistance to support people in the five locations since 2011.
KHARTOUM, Sudan, June 13, 2021 – For the first time in ten years, United Nations humanitarian agencies have been able to access conflict-affected communities in the five non-governmental areas controlled by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) El Hilu in South Kordofan and Blue Niles states of Sudan.
A series of humanitarian missions to the five isolated enclaves has concluded, just as renewed peace talks between the Government of Sudan and SPLM-N are ongoing in Juba, South Sudan. These five areas have largely been cut-off from support over the last decade and the missions’ findings indicate people are in dire need of improved food security, education, health, and water and sanitation services.
“This response marks a significant breakthrough in humanitarian access and response to conflict-affected communities previously unreached by UN humanitarian assistance. We commend the local efforts to support essential needs during the years of hardship. The humanitarian community in Sudan is calling for increased access and critically needed assistance to support these marginalized communities,” said Khardiata Lo N’diaye, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General and Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan.
United Nations humanitarian agencies have not been able to reach or provide life-saving assistance to support people in the five locations since 2011, when conflict broke out between the Government of Sudan and the SPLM-N. Gaining humanitarian access to these communities provides a critical opportunity to improve lives and rebuild livelihoods.
“Communities in these areas have been struggling and surviving on little or nothing for a decade. Access for humanitarian agencies so they can increase their assistance to these vulnerable communities is critical. With improved food security and other opportunities, families will be able to reintegrate with the rest of Sudan and start to recover and rebuild,” said Eddie Rowe, United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director in Sudan.
WFP delivered 100 metric tons of nutritious biscuits for 25,000 school children in 83 schools on the five missions. This was the first assistance that people in these isolated areas had received from the UN in the last decade due to conflict and access constraints. A lack of food for students is one of the main challenges Page 2 of 3 in maintaining school enrolment in these isolated areas. Providing school meals is among the top priorities for WFP’s response as access continues to open.
“Whilst these missions mark a major development, we need to ensure that humanitarian access to children and communities in need is always granted. No conditions should ever be set on access; humanitarian assistance should be provided at all times and from all places to those that need it. Findings from this mission are bleak. These children have been entirely ‘left behind’. We have to act now to ensure these children have a future. Collectively, efforts must be made to ensure access and sustain and scale up assistance,” said Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF Representative in Sudan.
Expanding humanitarian access to SPLM-N controlled enclaves is crucial to providing urgent assistance to an estimated 800,000 people in these areas, who desperately need relief following years of isolation. Ramping up support will help stabilize communities and pave the path for peacebuilding efforts, while reinforcing the UN’s commitment to assist marginalised populations in Sudan.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) participated in missions over the last six weeks to five isolated areas in SPLM-N El Hilu controlled areas including Zozak and Amora in Blue Nile State and Kau/Nyaro, Rashad/New Tegali, and Western Jebels in South Kordofan State.

WFP and partners have so far delivered food to some 43,000 displaced people in Sake, Minova and Rutshuru, towns close to Goma that have seen an influx of people fleeing their homes.
KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, June 2, 2021 – The United Nations World Food Programme has started providing emergency food rations to people displaced from their homes in Goma by the sudden eruption of Nyiragongo volcano on 22 May.
WFP and partners have so far delivered food to some 43,000 displaced people in Sake, Minova and Rutshuru, towns close to Goma that have seen an influx of people fleeing their homes. Thousands of displaced people remain scattered across the region amid warnings of further eruptions. Those who have had to flee their homes have been receiving 10-day rations of flour, pulses, oil and salt.
“People are feeling helpless and getting desperate. The families that have fled are completely reliant on government and aid agencies for basics like food, water and shelter,” said Erwan Rumen, WFP’s Eastern Area Coordinator. “WFP is very concerned about the food and nutrition situation of the people forced out of their homes. We are providing them with the food assistance they need in this crisis.”
The eruption left more than 30 dead and caused an estimated 400,000 people to either flee their homes or to be evacuated. Families who left with their few belongings, either headed north on foot on the Rutshuru/Beni road, recently cleared of the lava that had blocked it, or round the lake towards the towns of Sake and Minova, located 27 km and 46 km west of Goma, respectively. Some with vehicles continued further south to Bukavu.
Based on assessments carried out over the past week, WFP aims to reach a total of 40,000 people in Sake, 65,000 in Minova and 60,000 in Rutshuru, while WFP in Rwanda is providing emergency food assistance to many others who have crossed the border.
Jointly with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), WFP is also delivering food to 300 children who have been separated from their families in the chaos that followed the eruption.
North Kivu is already facing armed conflict, mainly in Beni territory where attacks on civilians continue. In efforts to bring stability to this conflict-hit province, the government has declared a security emergency there, and in Ituri, immediately to the north. Shortly after military rule was introduced, Nyiragongo erupted.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has provided emergency food assistance to 1 million people since starting distributions in Northwestern and Southern zones of Tigray region in March.
MEK’ELE, Ethiopia, June 1, 2021 – Aster Beyene, a 43-year-old mother of seven, who lost both her home and crops two months ago to conflict, became the 1 millionth person to collect wheat, split peas and vegetable oil from WFP on Monday.
“Up until now I have relied on what little food I can get from my neighbours. At least now we have some relief from the hunger we have been suffering,” said Aster from Adi Millen, a remote rural village 50 kilometres from Shire in Northwestern zone. WFP provided food to the 4,500 villagers, bringing the first round of food distributions – which will be carried out every six weeks in Tigray – to a close.
“I am glad that WFP was able to bring the food to us here in Adi Millen, where we are far and cut off from many towns and markets,” Aster added.

The new appeal will bring ICRC’s total budget for Ethiopia to 65 million Swiss francs.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, May 27, 2021 -The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is asking donors for an additional 28 million Swiss francs ($31.3 million) for its operations in Ethiopia and Sudan following violence that has forced tens of thousands of people from their homes, increasing the need for food, clean water and medical care.
The new appeal will bring ICRC’s total budget for Ethiopia to 65 million Swiss francs ($72.7 million) and the total budget for Sudan to 36 million Swiss francs ($40.3 million). It is the ICRC’s largest such appeal in four years.
“We haven’t seen such an increase in the level of violence in this region for many years,” said Patrick Youssef, the ICRC’s head of operations for Africa. “The world’s attention has been mostly on Tigray, but pockets of violence broke out in other parts of Ethiopia as well, while fighting also resurfaced in Darfur, causing more fear, more displacement and preventing people from meeting their vital needs.
“We are facing an unprecedented challenge, responding to several crises that unfold against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate shocks,”Mr Youssef said.
In Ethiopia’s Tigray region, the presence of humanitarian actors increased in cities, but significant gaps remain in hard-to-reach rural areas. Access to food and primary healthcare are major humanitarian concerns. At the same time, humanitarian needs in other violence-affected areas like Oromia continue to grow.
In Sudan’s Darfur region, the flare-up of violence forced tens of thousands to flee their homes. People can’t grow food and access essential services. Meanwhile, the country is dealing with several displacement and refugee crises. Nearly 2 million Sudanese remain internally displaced, while the country is hosting more than a million refugees, including over 60,000 people who recently fled Ethiopia.
“The emergency response alone will not suffice in the situation we are now facing. The level of violence and destruction is such that we must be prepared to deal with the protracted consequences of these crises,” Mr Youssef added. “Respect for civilian life and property, as well as for healthcare facilities and personnel, is the only way to limit the disastrous humanitarian impact of the ongoing violence.”
The ICRC stepped up its response in Ethiopia and Sudan to cover urgent humanitarian needs, providing emergency relief and preparing for long-term interventions. Additional funding will enable it to expand its programs in Tigray, Oromia and other violence-affected areas of Ethiopia, working alongside the Ethiopian Red Cross. Reaching rural areas of Tigray, reinforcing health services, and increasing support for victims of sexual violence are among the main priorities.
In Sudan, the ICRC will expand its activities and support the Sudanese Red Crescent to respond to the increasing humanitarian needs in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan. It will focus on delivering assistance to people affected by violence, reinforcing primary health care and physical rehabilitation services.
ICRC in Ethiopia:
ICRC in Sudan: