UK pledges a further £29m in humanitarian aid for northern Ethiopia

Yesterday, the government announced an additional £29m of humanitarian aid to people affected by the ongoing conflict in northern Ethiopia. This increases the UK’s total contribution to the crisis to more than £75m.

The announcement came on World Food Day and makes the UK the second largest donor to humanitarian work in Ethiopia.

The conflict in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, began in early November 2020. The UN recently estimated that 5.5 million people in northern Ethiopia face food insecurity and 400,000 people are suffering famine-like conditions as a result of fighting.

It is expected that the UK’s boost in funding will help deliver nutrition treatment for over 100,000 children and 27,000 pregnant and new mothers.

The Minister for Africa, Vicky Ford, said: “The Ethiopian people are facing a humanitarian catastrophe and are in urgent need of support. This pledge will provide vital food, water and healthcare to the hundreds of thousands of people facing famine in northern Ethiopia”.