The United Nations World Food Programme will suspend aid to 650,000 malnourished women and children in Ethiopia beginning in May due to a lack of funding, the agency announced Tuesday.
Without urgent financial support, the WFP warned that as many as 3.6 million people could lose access to food assistance in the coming weeks.
“The situation has become untenable, and WFP has no other choice but to cut life-saving support,” said Zlatan Milišić, the agency’s country director in Ethiopia.
More than 10 million Ethiopians are currently facing hunger and malnutrition, driven by internal conflict and regional instability, including crises in neighboring Sudan and South Sudan. These conditions have displaced more than 1 million people in Ethiopia.
The WFP also flagged the risk of a looming drought, which could worsen an already critical humanitarian situation.
The agency’s financial shortfall comes amid a significant reduction in international aid, including major cuts to U.S. foreign assistance under President Donald Trump. The United States had been the WFP’s largest donor and Ethiopia’s top foreign aid partner in sub-Saharan Africa, providing $1.8 billion in fiscal year 2023.
Several European countries have also scaled back foreign aid, exacerbating the crisis. The WFP said it faces a funding gap of $222 million for its operations in Ethiopia between April and September.
“Millions of Ethiopians are one shock away from falling into a catastrophe,” Milišić said. “We need a swift and generous donor response to ensure the country’s most vulnerable people get the assistance they need.”