United States Announces Additional Humanitarian Assistance for the Northern Ethiopia Crisis

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

The United States is providing more than $26 million in additional assistance to respond to the humanitarian crisis in northern Ethiopia.  With this funding, the United States has provided nearly $663 million in humanitarian assistance for northern Ethiopia since the crisis began.

This assistance from the American people will enable our international humanitarian partners to help many of the estimated 6-7 million people in need in northern Ethiopia, including some of the 900,000 who are facing famine-like conditions, and over 48,000 refugees who have fled from northern Ethiopia to Sudan.  The assistance will provide lifesaving protection, shelter, essential health care, emergency food assistance, and water, sanitation, and hygiene services.  This funding will also help our partners re-establish contact between family members who have been separated due to the conflict.  The U.S. Agency for International Development’s Disaster Assistance Response Team remains deployed in support of U.S. humanitarian response efforts.

We remain gravely concerned about the worsening humanitarian crisis in northern Ethiopia.  Immediate, full, safe, and unhindered access for humanitarian organizations and workers is essential to provide timely, need-based assistance to those affected by the conflict and to save lives.

The humanitarian situation will continue to worsen without a political solution.  A cessation of hostilities and an end to violence by all parties is essential.  There needs to be credible investigations of atrocities and human rights abuses and accountability for all those responsible. The United States and the broader international community are monitoring the situation closely to see to it that the Government of Ethiopia honors its public commitments to permit independent international and domestic investigations of the abuses and to hold those responsible accountable.

We welcome the contributions of other donors toward this crisis response and urge others to generously support the immediate humanitarian needs created by the crisis in northern Ethiopia.