The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) said persistent inflation, combined with insecurity, displacement and climate shocks continue to erode household resilience and heighten food insecurity in Ethiopia.
In a statement seen by APA on Tuesday, WFP said that El Nino-driven rainfall disruptions are further exacerbating the situation by threatening the October-to-January harvest, worsening drought conditions, and heightening food security risks across the Afar, Amhara, Tigray, and Oromia regions, with humanitarian needs expected to rise further through 2027.
To mitigate anticipated impacts, the WFP said it has advanced preparedness for El Nino-related shocks, including plans for a phased emergency response in the Afar, Amhara, and Tigray regions starting in September, targeting a total of 1.43 million people. The WFP’s operational update also noted that some 1.9 million people were assisted in August.
Meanwhile, the UN agency warned that “a severe funding shortfall” is hampering its life-saving operations, with its country portfolio just 46 percent funded for October 2026 to March 2027, leaving a net funding requirement of 251 million U.S. dollars.
It noted that although government emergency response capacity continues to strengthen, funding shortfalls “pose a growing risk to humanitarian operations amid rising food insecurity, displacement, and climate-related needs.”
The WFP further voiced concern that increasing insecurity in multiple regions continues to constrain supply routes and delay the timely delivery of assistance.
The agency highlighted that its emergency relief operations in Ethiopia prioritize the most food-insecure and vulnerable populations.
Ethiopia also remains one of Africa’s top refugee-hosting countries, currently accommodating more than 1.13 million refugees and asylum-seekers, driven by ongoing inflows from Sudan and South Sudan.
MG/abj/APA