Top U.S. diplomat welcomes Ethiopian pledge to investigate food aid diversion

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday welcomed the Ethiopian government’s commitment to investigate the diversion of American food aid away from people who needed it, the State Department said.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) said earlier it was suspending food aid to Ethiopia after determining, in coordination with the government there, that a “widespread and coordinated campaign is diverting food assistance from the people of Ethiopia”.

The statement did not say who was behind the campaign or who the aid was being diverted to.

Blinken met with Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen on the margins of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS (Islamic State) in Saudi Arabia.

“The secretary welcomed the Ethiopian government’s commitment to work together to conduct a full investigation into the diversion of U.S. food assistance and to hold accountable those found responsible,” the department said in a statement.

Blinken praised progress that he said had been made in securing a lasting peace after the recently concluded war in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region.

He also discussed promoting human rights and a transparent judicial process as well as resolving lingering tensions in Amhara and Oromia, it said.

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