Nearly 400 Ethiopians have died of starvation recently. Millions more need food aid

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA
Associated Press

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Nearly 400 people have died of starvation in Ethiopia’s Tigray and Amhara regions in recent months, the country’s ombudsman said Tuesday, a rare admission of hunger-related deaths by a federal body. Local officials have previously reported starvation deaths in their districts, but Ethiopia’s federal government has insisted these reports are “completely wrong.” Ethiopia’s ombudsman office sent experts to the regions, which are gripped by drought and still reeling from devastating civil war that officially ended 14 months ago. They concluded that 351 people have died of hunger in Tigray in the past six months, with 44 more deaths in Amhara. Only a small fraction of needy people in Tigray are receiving food aid, according to an aid memo seen by The Associated Press.