THE European Union has postponed nearly 90 million euros in budget support payments to Ethiopia due to the bloc’s concerns over the crisis in the northern Tigray region, according to an internal EU document seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
The delay appears intended to reinforce the EU’s request for 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 document says “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
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