US Suspends Food Aid To Ethiopia 

The US is suspending food aid to Ethiopia because it says donations are being diverted from those in need.

The US Agency for International Development, USAID says an investigation has uncovered a widespread and co-ordinated scheme to divert assistance.

“We made the difficult but necessary decision that we cannot move forward with distribution of food assistance until reforms are in place,” USAID said.

This suspension comes weeks after USAID and the UN World Food Programme, WFP halted aid to Tigray over similar claims.

The US is by far the largest humanitarian donor to Ethiopia, where more than 20 million people need food aid because of drought and the recent war in the northern region of Tigray.

BBC/Christopher Ojilere