Ethiopia: South Korea Donates 12,000mt of Rice to WFP Ethiopia Amid Critical Funding Gaps

Addis Abeba — The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has received 12,000 metric tons of rice from the government of South Korea to support refugee and relief operations in Ethiopia’s Afar and Somali regions. The donation comes amid a deepening funding shortfall that continues to disrupt WFP’s humanitarian activities across the country.

According to WFP, the rice shipment will help provide urgently needed food assistance to an estimated 400,000 vulnerable people in the Somali region and 330,000 refugees hosted in camps across the Afar and Somali regions.

The handover ceremony took place at WFP’s main logistics hub in Adama on Wednesday. It was attended by Ambassador Jung Kang, the South Korean Ambassador to Ethiopia, Amensisa Tufa, Food Supply and Distribution Team Leader at the Refugees and Returnee Service (RRS), Teferi Mengesha, the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Bureau Adama Branch manager, and Zlatan Milišić, WFP Representative and Country Director in Ethiopia.

WFP has been struggling to sustain operations in Ethiopia due to mounting funding constraints. In May, the agency warned of a looming pipeline break by June and announced the closure of its field office in Shire, northwestern Tigray — a major hub for humanitarian operations and home to one of the largest internally displaced populations in the region.

Levan Tchatchua, Head of WFP’s Area Office for Tigray, confirmed to Addis Standard that the Shire office would close by the end of June, but emphasized that operations in the northwest would continue to be managed from Mekelle. Responsibilities for food distribution are being transferred to the U.S.-funded Joint Emergency Operation (JEOP), while WFP will maintain engagement in nutrition, school feeding, and resilience-building programs.

At the handover, WFP’s Zlatan Milišić expressed gratitude for the donation, noting: “We are deeply grateful to the Republic of Korea for this generous contribution of rice, which comes at a critical time — the outset of Ethiopia’s lean season and a period of immense need for millions across the country. The Republic of Korea has been a steadfast partner in our emergency relief and refugee operations, as well as our nutrition programmes.”

Ambassador Jung Kang also highlighted the historical ties between Ethiopia and South Korea, stating: “This contribution is more than a gesture — it reflects Korea’s enduring commitment to Ethiopia, which stood by us during challenging times. We have never forgotten that Ethiopia was among the few nations to send troops in support of South Korea during the Korean War.”

According to UNICEF, more than 21.4 million people in Ethiopia currently require humanitarian assistance, including 16.7 million women and children. The country is also hosting nearly 4.5 million internally displaced people and over 1 million refugees and asylum seekers.

In May WFP has cited the compounding effects of conflict, drought, flooding, and inflation as key drivers of food insecurity across the country. Although the peace agreement halted active conflict in Tigray, WFP says that renewed violence in other regions — particularly Amhara and Oromia — continues to raise operational risks and costs, hindering the timely and safe delivery of food to affected populations.

The same month WFP announced the suspension of its nutrition treatment programmes for 650,000 malnourished women and children due to what it described as a “devastating” funding shortfall.

By Addis Standard.