🍽️ U.S. Stop Send Grinds Fo’ Ethiopia Cuz Dem Stealin’ ‘Em All! 😱🇪🇹

Dem American folks wen say dey wen find out dat da kine government officials wen tief plenny food that dey wen send to Ethiopia, one place wea 20 million peeps stay depend on da food donations. 🚫🍛🛑

Da United States wen put on da brakes on all da food aid fo’ Ethiopia on Thursday. Dey da ones that feeding ’bout 12 million peeps ova dea, an’ dey say “whole lotta tings goin’ missin” wen it come to da emergency supplies. Da tings wen disappear all ova da country, an’ da government officials dea was da ones making ’em vanish. 😡🛢️🤫

Dis one choice that goin’ make ’em real hard fo’ da already struglin’ Ethiopians, ‘specially da ones that stay suf’rin’ from da fights, climate change, an’ da locust swarms that wen eat up da crops. 😓🌍🥀

Fo’ find out dat da American food wen get stolen on one big kine scale in Ethiopia, wen hit Washington like one heavy punch. Dey stay gettin’ more an’ more fed up wit Ethiopia, wea plenny peeps stay, da second biggest numba of peeps in Africa, wit 120 million peeps, an’ dey used to be tight wit da U.S. 💔👊🇺🇸

Da United States stay by far da biggah donah wen it come to helpin’ Ethiopia. ‘Bout 20 million peeps dea depend on food aid, an’ last year, da U.S. wen give ’em $1.5 billion in aid, an’ two-thirds of dat stay food. Wen dey wen give da aid, some of um did go to da peeps that need ’em, but den dey wen find out dat da food stay gettin’ all mixed up an’ disappearin’, so dey no mo’ choice but fo’ stop sendin’ ’em mo’ food. 💰🚚❌

“We had fo’ make dis hard decision fo’ stop givin’ out da food ’til dey fix tings ova dea,” da U.S. Agency fo’ International Development wen say. “We goin’ start again as soon as we know dat da food goin’ da right places.” 🚫🥘✋

Da USAID people, dey neva say who exactly wen steal da food. But one document from da Humanitarian an’ Resilience Donor Group, wea plenny odda countries that give aid stay in, including da USAID, wen say dat da tings “look like da federal an’ regional government people stay doin’ ’em, an’ da military all ova da place stay gettin’ dea hands on da aid too.” 👥🔍🏢💼

One big shot from da USAID, wea stay tryin’ fo’ figure dis out an’ no can say dea name, wen say dat dis is true. Dey wen look real deep in seven of Ethiopia’s nine regions, an’ da Americans wen find out dat da aid wen goin’ missin’ on one real big scale, da biggah scale dat we eva seen befo’, da big shot wen say. 📜🔎🌍🔍

But da Americans, wea stay tryin’ fo’ fix dea relationship wit Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed from Ethiopia, wea no been too good in da past, stay no like blame da Ethiopian government fo’ da tiefin’. 😕🤝🇪🇹

Afta one meeting on Thursday wit da deputy prime minister from Ethiopia, Demeke Mekonnen, wen happen in Saudi Arabia, da U.S. Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken, wen say he happy dat Ethiopia wen promise fo’ “work togedda fo’ investigate dis tiefin'” an’ “fo’ make da ones responsible pay fo’ dea actions.” 💼🤝🗣️

A spokeswoman for Ethiopia’s prime minister did not respond to a request for comment. But in a joint statement issued by the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, the two governments committed “to collaborate toward an efficient aid distribution system” that would “safeguard assistance from diversion.” 📢🏛️🤝🌍

Ethiopia has endured one of the worst droughts in decades in the Horn of Africa. The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the suffering, causing inflation and unemployment to rise. Locusts and conflict decimated the agricultural sector in some areas. ☀️🌾💔🦗

Relations between the United States and Ethiopia plunged during the two-year civil war in the northern Tigray region between forces of the federal government and regional leaders, which ended with a settlement in November. It was, by many estimates, the deadliest war this century, resulting in about 600,000 deaths and accusations of gross abuses by all sides. 💣🗡️🛡️🤝

Ethiopian forces, in particular, faced accusations of ethnic cleansing, mass rape and using food as a weapon of war during the campaign. In September 2021, President Biden threatened sweeping sanctions that drew a furious response from Mr. Abiy. 👥💔⚔️🍛🚫

Human Rights Watch said last week that ethnic cleansing had continued in western Tigray since the November peace deal and that much of it was orchestrated by local officials. 😢👥💔🌍

But some Western countries are keen to edge back toward normal ties with Mr. Abiy. In April, a delegation from the International Monetary Fund visited Addis Ababa to discuss Ethiopian requests for emergency funds, which would require American assent to be approved. 🌍💰🤝

Around that time, though, USAID officials were beginning to make alarming discoveries about their food aid program in Tigray, where most of the six million residents rely on food assistance to survive, and it quickly spiraled into a much wider investigation, according to the senior USAID official. 🕵️‍♂️🔍🚫🍛

During five trips to Tigray in April, American officials discovered evidence of “widespread and systematic diversion of assistance,” the USAID official said. Instead of being delivered to the needy, food aid was being rerouted to commercial mills and sold on local markets. 🏭🍛💰💔

In testimony to Congress on April 26, the USAID administrator, Samantha Power, cited evidence of “collusion between parties on both sides of the conflict,” referring to the Ethiopian and regional Tigrayan authorities. On May 3, USAID suspended food aid to Tigray. 🗣️🏛️🚫🍛

By then, the U.N. World Food Program, one of the main agencies that deliver American aid in Ethiopia, had already paused its operations in Tigray based on similar suspicions. (USAID depends on large aid groups to deliver its supplies). 🌍🔒🚫🍛

American investigators quickly widened their focus. They visited refugee camps, markets, and 63 flour mills in seven of Ethiopia’s nine regions, where they interviewed commercial traders, officials, and aid beneficiaries. 👥🔎🏭🏛️🌍

What they discovered was a “coordinated and criminal scheme” that deprived Ethiopia’s “most vulnerable” citizens of lifesaving assistance, the donor group’s briefing document said. It worked differently depending on the region. In some places, officials collected aid from beneficiaries and diverted it to flour mills. In others, beneficiary lists were inflated with false names — or hungry people never received the aid intended for them. 😡🏢🛢️🍛

American investigators found evidence that food from other countries had also been stolen, including wheat donated by France, Japan, and Ukraine through the World Food Program. 🌾🇫🇷🇯🇵🇺🇦🍛

The senior USAID official said investigators were still trying to determine who coordinated the scheme and at what level. But on the ground, it was run by federal and local officials, often in collusion with grain and flour traders. 🔍👥🌾🏭

The United States hopes to resume deliveries “as soon as we can,” the official said. 📦🌍🔜

Da suspension of food aid from da United States to Ethiopia is one blow to da already strugglin’ country. Da peeps dat stay dependin’ on da aid goin’ be hit hard, an’ da relationship between da U.S. an’ Ethiopia goin’ get even more strained. It goin’ take time fo’ sort dis mess out an’ make sure da aid go to da ones dat really need ’em. 🤝🛑🤔🌍

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NOW IN ENGLISH

🍽️ The United States Stops Sending Food to Ethiopia Because They’re Stealing It All! 😱🇪🇹

The American authorities have uncovered widespread food theft by government officials in Ethiopia, a country where 20 million people rely on food donations. 🚫🍛🛑

As a result, the United States has halted all food aid to Ethiopia. They were feeding approximately 12 million people there, but they found that a significant amount of emergency supplies were going missing. The disappearance of food was happening all over the country, and it was the government officials themselves who were responsible for making it vanish. 😡🛢️🤫

This decision will have a severe impact on the already struggling Ethiopians, especially those who are suffering from conflicts, climate change, and the devastation caused by locust swarms that have destroyed crops. 😓🌍🥀

The revelation that American food was being stolen on such a large scale in Ethiopia has deeply affected Washington. They are growing increasingly frustrated with Ethiopia, which has the second-largest population in Africa with 120 million people, and a country that used to have a close relationship with the United States. 💔👊🇺🇸

The United States is by far the largest donor when it comes to assisting Ethiopia. Around 20 million people there depend on food aid, and last year, the U.S. provided $1.5 billion in aid, with two-thirds of it being food. While some of the aid reached those in need, it was discovered that the food was getting mixed up and disappearing, leaving them with no choice but to stop sending more food. 💰🚚❌

“We had to make this difficult decision to stop providing food until they fix things over there,” said the U.S. Agency for International Development. “We will start again as soon as we are confident that the food is reaching the right places.” 🚫🥘✋

The USAID did not explicitly mention who exactly was responsible for the food theft. However, a document from the Humanitarian and Resilience Donor Group, which includes USAID, suggests that it appears to involve both federal and regional government officials, as well as the military. 👥🔍🏢💼

A senior USAID official, who chose to remain anonymous, confirmed this. They conducted a thorough investigation in seven of Ethiopia’s nine regions and discovered that the scale of the aid diversion was unprecedented. 📜🔎🌍🔍

However, the United States, in an effort to improve its relationship with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, has been cautious about blaming the Ethiopian government for the theft. 😕🤝🇪🇹

Following a meeting on Thursday with Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Demeke Mekonnen, in Saudi Arabia, U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken expressed his satisfaction that Ethiopia had promised to “work together to investigate this theft” and “hold the responsible parties accountable for their actions.” 💼🤝🗣️

A spokesperson for Ethiopia’s prime minister did not respond to a request for comment. However, a joint statement issued by the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, stated that both governments are committed “to collaborate toward an efficient aid distribution system” that will “safeguard assistance from diversion.” 📢🏛️🤝🌍

Ethiopia has been facing one of the worst droughts in decades in the Horn of Africa. The suffering has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to inflation and increased unemployment. In addition, locust swarms and conflicts have devastated the agricultural sector in certain areas. ☀️🌾💔🦗

Relations between the United States and Ethiopia deteriorated during the two-year civil war in the northern Tigray region, which ended in November. It was one of the deadliest wars of this century, resulting in approximately 600,000 deaths and allegations of gross human rights abuses by all parties involved. 💣🗡️🛡️🤝

Ethiopian forces, in particular, were accused of ethnic cleansing, mass rape, and using food as a weapon of war during the conflict. In September 2021, President Biden threatened comprehensive sanctions, which elicited a furious response from Prime Minister Abiy. 👥💔⚔️🍛🚫

According to Human Rights Watch, ethnic cleansing has continued in western Tigray since the November peace deal, with much of it being orchestrated by local officials. 😢👥💔🌍

However, some Western countries are eager to mend ties with Prime Minister Abiy. In April, a delegation from the International Monetary Fund visited Addis Ababa to discuss Ethiopia’s request for emergency funds, which would require approval from the United States. 🌍💰🤝

Around that time, USAID officials began making alarming discoveries about their food aid program in Tigray, where six million residents heavily rely on food assistance. The investigation quickly expanded, according to a senior USAID official. 🕵️‍♂️🔍🚫🍛

During five trips to Tigray in April, American officials found evidence of “widespread and systematic diversion of assistance,” as stated by the USAID official. Instead of reaching the intended recipients, the food aid was being redirected to commercial mills and sold in local markets. 🏭🍛💰💔

In a testimony to Congress on April 26, USAID administrator Samantha Power mentioned “collusion between parties on both sides of the conflict,” referring to both Ethiopian and regional Tigrayan authorities. Consequently, USAID suspended food aid to Tigray on May 3. 🗣️🏛️🚫🍛

Prior to this, the United Nations World Food Program, one of the primary agencies delivering American aid in Ethiopia, had already halted its operations in Tigray due to similar concerns. (USAID relies on large aid groups for distribution). 🌍🔒🚫🍛

American investigators expanded their efforts swiftly. They visited refugee camps, markets, and 63 flour mills in seven out of Ethiopia’s nine regions. They conducted interviews with commercial traders, officials, and aid recipients. 👥🔎🏭🏛️🌍

What they uncovered was a “coordinated and criminal scheme” that deprived Ethiopia’s most vulnerable citizens of life-saving assistance, according to a briefing document from the donor group. The details varied across different regions. In some places, officials collected aid meant for beneficiaries and diverted it to flour mills. In other cases, beneficiary lists were inflated with false names, or the aid never reached the hungry people it was intended for. 😡🏢🛢️🍛

Furthermore, American investigators found evidence of food theft from other countries, including wheat donations from France, Japan, and Ukraine through the World Food Program. 🌾🇫🇷🇯🇵🇺🇦🍛

The senior USAID official stated that investigators are still working to determine who coordinated this scheme and at what level. However, on the ground, it involved federal and local officials, often colluding with grain and flour traders. 🔍👥🌾🏭

The United States hopes to resume aid deliveries as soon as possible, according to the official. 📦🌍🔜

The suspension of food aid from the United States to Ethiopia is another blow to an already struggling country. The people dependent on this aid will be severely affected, and the relationship between the U.S. and Ethiopia will become even more strained. It will take time to sort out this mess and ensure that the aid reaches those who truly need it. 🤝🛑🤔🌍