More than 10 million people across Ethiopia now face hunger and malnutrition amid a perfect storm of conflict, displacement and weather emergencies, the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) warned Tuesday, April 22, 2025.
WFP officials said their ability to respond has been critically hampered by a $222 million funding shortfall, putting 3.6 million vulnerable Ethiopians at risk of losing food assistance between April and September.
“Without urgent new funding, 3.6 million of Ethiopia’s most vulnerable people will lose access to WFP’s life-saving food and nutrition assistance in the coming weeks,” a WFP spokesperson said.
The crisis is particularly severe for children and pregnant or breastfeeding women, with 4.4 million requiring malnutrition treatment. Officials reported that in parts of Somali, Oromia, Tigray, and Afar regions, child wasting has surpassed the 15% emergency threshold.
WFP assisted more than three million people during the first quarter of 2025, including treatment for 740,000 malnourished women and children.
Ongoing violence in Amhara region has disrupted humanitarian operations, threatening access to over half a million people. Car hijackings, threats and theft pose serious risks to aid workers.
The situation is further complicated by regional instability. WFP currently supports 800,000 refugees in Ethiopia, including 100,000 from Sudan.
Officials expect up to 10,000 more refugees may cross from South Sudan due to escalating violence there.
Weather patterns also contribute to the crisis, with poor rainfall expected through May potentially triggering another drought in the Somali region, where families are still recovering from the country’s longest recorded drought (2020-2023).
Without additional funding, WFP will halt treatment for 650,000 malnourished women and children in May and suspend assistance to up to one million refugees in June.
By Winston Mwale, AfricaBrief