
Ethiopia: Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations Council (ECSOC) – Press Release (06.03.2025)



“Over 85 percent of civil society organizations (CSOs) in Ethiopia have paused operations following the Trump administration’s clampdown on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), sources told The Reporter. CSOs working on human rights, peace, health, and development issues have especially been affected by the cutoff of funding from the US Agency, while others are also facing serious disruptions, according to the sources. “Large CSOs in Ethiopia used to access up to 70 percent of their funding from USAID. Now they’re in crisis,” a representative of a prominent CSO told The Reporter, speaking anonymously. “We’ve suspended five of our projects due to the aid suspension.”” (Ashenafi Endale – ‘USAID funding freeze leave over 85pct of Ethiopian nonprofits crippled’ 01.03.2025, The Reporter Ethiopia).
The ones not thinking the termination of the USAID contracts, grands and programs haven’t seen it or thought of the impact. The Prosperity Party and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia must be feeling a pinch.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali should be stressed in his palace. As the Ministry of Health has to stop paying employees and medical personnel. The USAID paid for at least 5000 people for the PREFAR program alone. The medicines and treatment against HIV/AIDs have now been stopped. Therefore, we know things are only getting worse.
Just like all other Humanitarian Assistance in coordination, funded and logistically delivered through the USAID will also be hit. This will cause more trouble in Ethiopia. As these sorts of programs have been used to feed the internally displaced people and the ones who are living in refugee camps, as they have needs awaiting ability to return home or safe travels to Sudan or elsewhere, which they fled warzones across the border from Ethiopia. Therefore, there is millions of people in need and this USAID terminations will only create more suffering.
There is already knowledge of disruptions of humanitarian assistance earlier in February when the USAID paused the payouts. Now that things are terminated, we can only imagine the damage it does to the World Food Programme and UNAIDS or any other bilateral organization who is helping the needy in Ethiopia.
The Prime Minister and FDRE must be worried, as they have no leverage and have little to fight for here. Unless someone wants to fill in the void. The USAID terminations and such are hitting the Ministries. This is hurting an economy that was already weak and tumbling over the years of internal conflict. The warlords of Addis Ababa need foreign funding, because it doesn’t have enough domestic revenue. That’s why Prime Minister will feel the pinch and lack of easy money.
The PM needs viable funding and external support to cover his deficits, as his not creating or able to have enough stability to make it a rising market. Ethiopia has a big need for assistance, both government and citizens, as the state are accustomed to foreign assistance and aid. Abiy knows this and has lost a vital source in the loss of USAID.
Now the PM has to either find money or let people go. Neither are the money that can vanish or misuse, as the FDRE needs to find other sources to cover their deficits. That’s we should worry about what will happen now. The innocent lives are the ones that is in the purge and abandoned by the USAID. The FDRE have also left them behind, because they expected someone else to pay their tab. The EPRDF and PP haven’t changed this and only allowed for this to happen. As there was no Plan B if the USAID stopped to operate. There was always the idea that the foreigners would come in as saviours. Now we have to wait and see, but this will create more insecurity and possible famine as well. Therefore, things aren’t looking good for Ethiopia. Peace.













