Starvation: A Manmade Weapon Against Tigrayans

The US government and the United Nations have suspended food aid to Ethiopia, leading to the deaths of at least 700 people in the country's northern Tigray region in recent months. The suspension of food aid was prompted by the discovery of a scheme to steal donated wheat intended for needy people. In mid-March, US aid officials found enough food aid for 134,000 people being sold in a local market. While the theft of food aid is inexcusable, it does not justify the weaponization of food aid by the US and UN as a solution for the millions of people suffering from acute malnutrition in the region. The suspension of food aid has had devastating consequences for the people of Tigray. Local officials and researchers say hunger has killed at least 700 people in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region after the United States and the United Nations suspended food aid.

The UN and the US first suspended food aid to Tigray in March 2023. They extended the pause to the rest of Ethiopia in early June, affecting 20 million people in need, or about one-sixth of the country's population.

Researchers at Mekelle University in the regional capital have documented 165 hunger deaths in seven camps for internally displaced people in Tigray since the food aid suspension began. There are over 100 such camps across the region. The deaths were reported by camp coordinators to the researchers, who are studying people displaced by the recent war. Most of the deaths are of children, old people, and people with underlying health conditions, said one researcher, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. He linked the deaths directly to the aid suspension. A UN update published on June 14 said the number of children admitted to hospitals in Tigray for malnutrition rose by 196% between April 2022 and April 2023. The recent war left 5.4 million out of 6 million people in Tigray reliant on food aid.

The USAID, World Food Programme, and United Nations High Commissioners for Refugees have continued to solicit funds despite withholding food aid, exacerbating the suffering of the people of Tigray. This begs the question: is the suspension of food aid a political ploy by the US, after allocating $331 million in food aid in the same month? Despite the weaponization of food, the people of Tigray can continue to find solace in prayer as they seek Yah'wah to bring relief against man made starvation imposed upon them by NGOs violating their humanitarian mandates to support them.

The people of Tigray are in desperate need of food aid, and it is imperative that the U.S. and U.N. take immediate action to restore food aid and ensure the safety and well-being of the vulnerable in need. Those in the Tegaru diaspora are demanding that food aid be resumed immediately and that NGOs be held accountable for their inhuman actions. The situation in much of Ethiopia is dire, and the international community must act now to prevent further suffering and loss of life.