Ethiopia - Diplomatic Row follows WFP's Food Fight : DEVEX

The food aid scam in Ethiopia is as embarrassing as it is tragic. A country where 20 million people rely on overseas help to feed their families must ensure aid reaches those in need and isn’t pilfered behind the scenes for profit or political gain.

Unfortunately, that’s what seemingly happened. Investigations are ongoing, but we can exclusively reveal that Tigray’s regional police have sought to interrogate at least three local staff members of the World Food Programme, triggering a diplomatic standoff with the Rome-based food agency.

The United Nations food outfit — whose workers enjoy immunity for official activities — hasn’t complied with the request yet and has asked for clarification from the Ethiopian government. But the move comes after food aid was cut off in Ethiopia earlier this year.

The stoppage began after WFP and USAID uncovered widespread theft of its food assistance across Tigray — a region battered by two years of civil war and debilitating hunger. It soon became evident how wide the racket spanned, and by early June, the food aid suspension was nationwide.

It’s not yet clear whether the U.N. aid workers are suspected of involvement in the diversion — the diplomatic way of describing theft — that resulted in the shutdown of the agency’s massive Ethiopian food aid operations this year, or whether they are simply believed to have knowledge of the scandal.

The Tigrayan investigation, which has already resulted in the arrest of suspects, is one of several probes into the illegal diversion of aid, write Devex contributor Elissa Miolene and Devex Senior Global Reporter Colum Lynch. USAID, the Ethiopian government, and WFP all have ongoing inquiries into the transgressions.

It all began when WFP and USAID found more than 7,000 metric tons of stolen wheat and 215,000 liters of food oil in commercial markets in Tigray. USAID visited refugee camps, village markets, and 63 flour mills throughout Ethiopia and also found various levels of theft at each location.

Though assistance began to trickle back to Tigray late last month, there is a scramble to figure out who’s to blame. But for many, the answer is obvious. Everyone is to blame. And that’s nothing new.

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