Ever since Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed began a military campaign in the Tigray region, the country has been in civil war and suffering. Africa's second-most populous country has displaced over two million people from their homes and pushed much of the country into famine. 

As the Tiagran conflict is spreading across northern Ethiopia, 9 million people from Tigray, Amhara and Afar are in need of food assistance and they could go into starvation as the conflict continues. The hunger emergency in Ethiopia is the most severe in the world and is called mass starvation. The Ethipian’s military policies aren’t the only cause for famine, however. Studies indicate severe recurrent droughts, high food prices, poverty and lack of agricultural investment are also among the leading causes of declines in agricultural production. Hunger is widespread, with malnourished children all over in this East African country.

Ethiopia has the fastest growing economy in the region, with 6.1 percent growth in FY 2019/20, but has one of the poorest per capita gross national income of $890. Growth in the country was led by capital accumulation, through public infrastructure investments. The population that was living below the national poverty line decreased from 30 percent in 2011 to 24 percent in 2016 and human development indicators improved over time. However, inequality has been growing between urban and rural areas and is why the bottom 10 percent of the population hasn’t grown in terms of consumption. Ethiopia’s main concern is to ensure growth is equitable across the country, requiring significant progress in job creation and improved governance. Most of the government’s money goes to pro-poor programs and investments, and Ethiopia continues to rely on large donor support to finance these pro-poor programs.