South Korea’s rice donation bolsters food aid for Ethiopia’s refugees and host communities

Ethiopia is currently home to more than one million refugees and asylum‑seekers, primarily fleeing conflict in Eritrea, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. Women and children constitute nearly 80 % of this population, and a large share depend entirely on humanitarian assistance for basic nutrition. The influx has placed considerable pressure on already limited local services, as host communities share scarce water, health and market resources with newcomers. Recent droughts have further weakened livelihoods, increasing food insecurity for both displaced families and their neighbours.

The Republic of Korea’s latest contribution delivers 2,400 metric tonnes of rice, valued at about US$2.9 million, to the World Food Programme’s operations in Ethiopia. The rice contribution will support food assistance for 100,000 refugees and vulnerable members of host communities. WFP says the contribution will help sustain assistance for displaced people and the communities receiving them. WFP officials note that the timing aligns with a period when humanitarian needs are outpacing available resources, making the donation especially critical.

WFP aims to sustain assistance for roughly one million refugees in Ethiopia throughout 2026, having already reached 866,435 individuals across 30 camps in seven regions between January and July through a mix of food parcels and cash transfers. The Korean partnership, which since 2022 has contributed more than US$60 million via the ministries of Agriculture, Foreign Affairs and the Korea International Cooperation Agency, underpins nutrition support and resilience programmes for refugees, internally displaced persons and host communities. Nevertheless, the convergence of protracted conflicts, climate‑driven droughts and stretched donor budgets means that continued international funding is essential to prevent food insecurity from worsening.