The European Union has pledged aid worth $680 million to Ethiopia, nearly three years after it cut direct aid to the East African country over atrocities committed in a bloody civil war.
The EU commissioner for international partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen on Tuesday, announced the agreement during a press conference with Ethiopian Finance Minister, Ahmed Shide, in the capital, Addis Ababa.
Describing the aid package as “the first concrete step” in the process after a cease-fire ended the war last November, Urpilainen said “It is time to gradually normalize relations and rebuild a mutually reinforcing partnership with your country”
The EU aid package was initially worth 1 billion euros ($1.04 billion) and was due to be given to Ethiopia from 2021 to 2027, but it was suspended in late 2020 after a clash in the northern Tigray region.
The U.S. also halted assistance and legislated for sanctions.
Chioma Kalu
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