This information is from Professor Jan Nyssen, of Ghent University

Some readers asked me how food aid is being distributed in Tigray by now.

Here’s the view from a local NGO staff on the ground:

“For the past two weeks, I have been a data collector for a non-profit organization in two tabiyas (municipalities). I gathered all the data for 2484 homes, but they have chosen 552 of those to get food assistance. However, nearly everyone in these two tabiyas is hungry and at risk. Instead, they should help everyone at first, and then after that focus on households that require more assistance.”

Another friend, involved with the NGO sector writes:

“There is simply not enough money to give food to everyone. It’s not the humanitarian actors that are responsible for that but the donors who are funding them. The humanitarian actors then have a choice – either they give food but very little to everyone; or they try to screen the neediest. Both options are incredibly problematic. There’s a problem with screening, but there’s also a problem with the other option. If you give only very little food to everyone including the neediest, the neediest will not have enough and die. It is a huge dilemma which is created by not enough money in the system”.