Image Source: Daily News Egypt
Africa – Millions of people in Ethiopia are on the brink of starvation as the World Food Programme (WFP) prepares to suspend malnutrition treatment for 650,000 women and children by the end of April. The decision comes after the UN agency received less than half the funding it had secured in the previous year.
“We are at the breaking point,” the WFP warned Tuesday as it appealed for urgent support.
Zlatan Milisic, the agency’s Country Director, said 3.6 million of Ethiopia’s most vulnerable people will lose food and nutrition assistance unless immediate funds are available.
“Over 10 million people in Ethiopia are acutely food insecure. This includes three million people displaced by conflict and extreme weather. Malnutrition rates are alarmingly high,” Milisic told journalists via video link from Geneva.
Child Malnutrition Hits Crisis Levels
More than four million women and children across Ethiopia need treatment for malnutrition, with the worst-affected regions, Somali, Oromia, Afar, and Tigray, reporting child wasting rates beyond the 15% emergency threshold.
WFP had planned to support two million mothers and children in 2025. Still, dwindling supplies and escalating costs have forced the agency to scale back.
“What is particularly important now is that our nutritious foods are running out,” Milisic said. “So, we are stopping that programme unless something comes really fast … but nothing has come yet.”
The agency has already reduced food rations for months. Refugees have been receiving only 60% of the standard ration, while displaced and food-insecure communities have received just 80% for the past nine months.
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Access Challenges and Growing Insecurity
Access issues are worsening the crisis, particularly in the Amhara region, where conflict and insecurity have disrupted aid to more than half a million people.
“Car hijacking, threats and theft are on the rise and pose serious risks to staff safety and impact the delivery of lifesaving assistance,” Milisic added.
Still, WFP serves daily school meals to 470,000 children, including 70,000 refugees. It also supports more than 200,000 people in drought-prone areas with early warning alerts and cash transfers.
To meet its 2025 goals, the agency needs $222 million by September. “We have the teams, the logistics, the capacities… what we lack are the resources to act and the scale that this situation demands,” Milisic said.
