EU Freezes Financial Aid to Ethiopia over Tigray Conflict

On Wednesday, the European Union (EU) postponed the payment of nearly 90 million euros, in budget aid, to Ethiopia over the ongoing conflict in the northern Tigray region.

In a statement, the EU said that the delay is intended to seek a response from Ethiopian authorities over the bloc's calls for aid to be allowed into Tigray, where five weeks of war have led to a humanitarian crisis.

The prime minister's spokeswoman directed requests for comment to the Finance Ministry, which did not immediately respond.

There was no immediate response to a request for comment from the bloc in Brussels.

The statement added "Postponing those three budget support disbursements aims at creating political space to assess the current situation and request a response with regard to the EU’s concerns notably related to humanitarian access, cessation of hostilities and media access."

War between Ethiopian federal forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) broke out on Nov. 4. The conflict is thought to have killed thousands and displaced more than 950,000 people, according to United Nations estimates. About 50,000 of them fled to Sudan.