After discovering that food and goods from US aid agency USAID are being used for illicit sales, the US has decided to temporarily pause imports of food for those in the Tigray region. Despite a peace deal being made between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front was signed in the fall of last year, the food insecurity among the civilians and people is still prominent. This decision from the US followed right after the World Food Programme had also paused aid deliveries to investigate theft of food in the region, leaving over 20 million still facing a humanitarian crisis.
In order for the US to protect its resources and also allocate them accordingly, there needs to be a tighter way of ensuring distribution of food and aid within the Ethiopian region is successful. By temporarily pausing the transfer of food, the US is able to work with the Ethiopian government and adjust its supply system to ensure that the food is going where it needs to be. This way, the two states can further and strengthen their relationship as Ethiopia works to recover the humanitarian crisis left as a result of the damage within the state. Also, this gives Ethiopia the chance to examine where the goods are going and truly understand the gravity in which the food and aid is needed, hopefully urging them to want to resolve it soon.
This relates to what we discussed in class because it highlights international and state agencies and the work they conduct with other states to provide aid.