Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed refuted claims of hunger-related deaths in the country amidst the challenges of drought and conflict. Addressing the lower house of parliament on Tuesday, Abiy asserted, “There are no people dying due to hunger in Ethiopia.”
While denying hunger as a direct cause of death, Abiy acknowledged the possibility of fatalities resulting from illnesses linked to malnutrition. Contrary to this stance, the national ombudsman had reported nearly 400 deaths attributed to hunger in the Tigray and Amhara regions last month.
Speaking to reporters, the head of the federal governance oversight body disclosed that these deaths occurred over the past six months. Abiy emphasized the government’s commitment by allocating over $250 million for food aid in the affected regions, asserting, “We can’t be blamed for ignoring drought and hunger.”
Despite humanitarian sources underscoring the severity of the food crisis in Ethiopia, there remains a lack of concrete data to substantiate direct deaths from hunger.
