The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced it will shut down its office in Shire, a town in northwestern Tigray, by the end of June due to budget constraints and the need to restructure its operations.

Shire hosts the largest number of internally displaced people in the region. The closure forms part of a broader reorganization of WFP’s activities in northern Ethiopia.

“We are closing our Shire office,” confirmed Levan Tchatchua, Head of WFP’s Area Office for Tigray, in an interview with Addis Standard. “However, we will maintain our presence in the northwestern zone through our Mekelle office.”

Levan Tchatchua noted that responsibility for food aid distribution has been transferred to the Joint Emergency Operation (JEOP), a consortium of U.S.-funded non-governmental organizations. Nevertheless, she emphasized that WFP will remain active in Tigray through programs focusing on balanced nutrition, school feeding, and rehabilitation.

The decision to close the Shire office follows a 2024/25 agreement between the Ethiopian government and international donors to transition food aid services to NGO-led coalitions across Tigray, Amhara, and Afar.

“Before the war in northern Ethiopia in 2020, humanitarian assistance was already being delivered through NGO coalitions,” said WFP Ethiopia spokesperson Claire Nevill. “While WFP has provided emergency response since 2020, the handover process to NGOs will be finalized by June 2025.”

Neville described the closure as “a necessary step to align our workforce with the scope of our current operations,” assuring that the move was made with careful consideration for vulnerable communities and the quality of humanitarian aid.

Despite the closure, WFP stated it will continue to support over 280,000 children, mothers, and smallholder farmers across the region. Services will include emergency malnutrition treatment and the provision of nutritious school meals.