The United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday announced more than $331 million in new humanitarian aid to Ethiopia, reported The East African.
“Today I am announcing more than $331 million in new humanitarian assistance for Ethiopia in FY 2023 through the Department of State and the US Agency for International Development (USAID),” said Blinken, who is currently in Ethiopia.
The US Secretary of State said the funding will provide critical, life-saving support including food, shelter, safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, healthcare efforts, education, and other key services to those displaced and affected by conflict, drought, and food insecurity in Ethiopia. He added that the aid will help deepen the partnership between the United States and Africa.
His visit to Ethiopia follows a peace agreement signed between Ethiopian government forces and rebels in the northern Tigray region last November to put an end to deadly fighting.
The announcement was made after Blinken had meetings with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen earlier in the day.
On Wednesday, the US Department of State said Blinken and Abiy discussed the progress made in implementing the peace agreement, providing humanitarian access, and restoration of basic services.
About $12 million in assistance will be made through the State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration and more than $319 million through USAID. The latest humanitarian assistance brings the total US aid for Ethiopia to $780m in the 2023 fiscal year.
In a Twitter post, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy noted that he discussed various bilateral issues with Blinken. He wrote that they have agreed to strengthen the long-standing bilateral relations between the two countries with a commitment to partnership.
The US secretary of state is next scheduled to go to the West African nation of Niger, which has been confronting armed groups, on Thursday.
