The United States has declared the resumption of food aid deliveries for refugees in Ethiopia, ending a five-month suspension. This decision followed the agreement of Ethiopian authorities in Addis Ababa to withdraw from the distribution of these supplies.

In May, Washington halted aid distribution, following a similar action by the UN, citing evidence of "widespread and coordinated" food aid theft.

The Ethiopian government introduced reforms, leading to the reinstatement of aid, which included strengthening monitoring, oversight, and enhancing commodity tracking, according to a statement by USAid. Ethiopia has also "transferred responsibility" for the dispatch and warehousing of food aid.

The resumption of aid will benefit hundreds of thousands of refugees currently residing in Ethiopia, primarily from neighboring countries such as Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, and Eritrea.

However, the pause on food aid for around 20 million Ethiopians in dire need of humanitarian assistance remains in effect.

Officials in the conflict-affected Tigray region had previously reported to the BBC that at least 1,400 people had died of starvation in the region since the aid suspension, while in the neighboring Amhara region, where recent conflicts are compounded by drought, many have perished due to the lack of food aid.