Ethiopia, “There is no more time to lose: it is urgent to resume the distribution of food aid now for more than 20 million people”

ROME – Doctors Without Borders (MSF) calls for the immediate restoration of food distributions in Ethiopia that were suspended in June 2023 and on which more than 20 million people depend. In many areas of the country, malnutrition rates are already above the emergency threshold. The distribution of food largely depends on refugees and displaced persons in the Horn of Africa country and among those most at risk are pregnant women, new mothers, children under five and people with HIV.

So far only sporadic and irregular distributions. “Even before food distributions were suspended – says Cara Brooks, MSF head for Ethiopia – our medical teams were observing alarming rates of acute malnutrition, which were already well above the 15% emergency threshold set by the ‘World Health Organization. This suspension – he added – is alarming because it comes after a long period of sporadic and irregular distributions and at a time when the humanitarian situation in the country is already disastrous. The population is dealing with the worst drought in the last forty years, with economic difficulties and recurring violence”.

Thousands of malnourished new mothers. According to data collected by MSF between January and April 2023, of the 8,000 pregnant and new mothers seen at MSF’s health facilities in Shire and Sheraro in Tigray, 72.5 per cent were severely malnourished. Malnourished mothers have a higher risk of complications during childbirth and their children are more likely to have health problems. Furthermore, among the 17,803 children under five seen by MSF in Shire and Sheraro clinics, 21.5% were affected by moderate acute malnutrition and 6.5% by severe acute malnutrition.

Previously isolated only Tigray, now the whole country. The suspension of food aid is linked to the investigation into the diversion of food aid. Initially food distributions were suspended only in Tigray, to then involve the whole country. Furthermore, the final suspension came after months of irregular and infrequent distributions, which contributed to MSF’s high rates of malnutrition.

Epidemics are looming. The Somali region of Ethiopia has the highest number of children under five with acute malnutrition, a condition that increases the risk of developing pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria, AIDS and measles, the five diseases responsible for half of all deaths of children under the age of five. Added to this is also one of the lowest vaccination coverage in the country, which exposes communities to the risk of epidemics. In the health center of Kule camp, in the Gambella region, the number of children under five treated by MSF teams for severe malnutrition has almost doubled. In 2022, MSF hospitalized an average of 44 children per month, while in 2023 the number rose to 86 children per month over the same period.

The daily food challenge. Having enough food is a challenge especially for refugee people who, due to their status in Ethiopia, are unable to work and are dependent on aid. Many have already experienced food ration cuts, including 400,000 South Sudanese living in Gambella, whose rations have been reduced from 84% to 60% of the recommended minimum daily intake of 2,100 calories.