Months after it stopped aid action to Ethiopia, the United States is set to resume food aid for people across the country.

A statement by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) says the return of the aid follows the implementation of comprehensive reforms.

“USAID is committing to a one-year trial period of the nationwide resumption, during which we will continuously monitor and evaluate the efficacy of the reforms put in place by USAID, implementing partners, and the government of Ethiopia,” the statement said.

Resuming food aid across the country comes after significant diplomatic engagement over the last several months resulted in “widespread and substantial reforms of the food assistance structure by the government of Ethiopia and our humanitarian partners.”

According to the agency, among other things, the reforms will “fundamentally shift” Ethiopia’s food aid system by bolstering commodity tracking and programme monitoring and oversight.

“USAID places the highest priority on taking every possible measure to make sure that U.S. humanitarian assistance is used for its intended purpose reaches the most vulnerable, and ultimately saves lives,” the statement said.

“Given the significant number of people in need of food assistance in Ethiopia, we are pleased these important reforms will allow the delivery of food assistance to those who need it most.”

In June, the US temporarily stopped providing food aid to the northern region of Ethiopia after complaints of widespread donation theft. The World Food Programme (WFP) did the same in May, subsequently cutting off all aid to Ethiopia in June.

More than 20 million Ethiopians, or roughly 16% of the country’s 120 million inhabitants, depend on food assistance as a result of ongoing droughts or regional conflicts that have forced 4.6 million people to escape their homes.