"We have seen the denial of humanitarian access in Ethiopia, & that should never happen. No government should ever use food as a weapon of war" - Samantha Power USAID
ADMINISTRATOR POWER: And maybe I'll just add in terms of our general approach, to be very clear. USAID provides humanitarian assistance on the basis of need. We are motivated by humanitarian imperatives. We have seen individuals like Vladimir Putin use food as a weapon in some larger warped strategy.
We have seen the denial of humanitarian access in places like Syria, in places like Ethiopia, and that should never happen. No government, no armed factions should ever use food as a weapon of war, and international organizations operate by humanitarian principles in order to provide aid impartially on the basis of need.
And here in Somalia, unfortunately, tragically, there is so much need right now, because of these four failed rainy seasons consecutively, that we will do absolutely everything in our power to ensure that that humanitarian aid, again, is delivered impartially to those with the greatest need.
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