UN Accuses Ethiopia Of Humanitarian Blockade Of Tigray
The United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Ethiopia has accused the government of blocking aid in the northern crisis region of Tigray.
Ethiopia– The government in Addis Ababa is preventing sufficient relief supplies, fuel and personnel from reaching those in need through bureaucratic requirements, said Grant Leaity, the head of the UN Emergency Aid Office (OCHA), in a statement today.
Since August 22nd, not a single truck with relief supplies has reached Tigray. Vaccinations against measles, polio and Covid-19 are not possible. One of the worst hunger crises in the world for decades is looming.
Millions of people depend on help
According to the United Nations, more than 5.2 million people in the north of the country are dependent on humanitarian aid, and more than 400,000 are at risk of starvation. According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), children, pregnant women and mothers of newborns suffer from malnutrition.
The central government in Addis Ababa had launched a military offensive in November against the TPLF, which had been in power there until then. The background to this were years of tensions between the TPLF and the central government.
After a six-week ceasefire, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called on the army and allied militias on August 10 to take renewed action against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Since then, the conflict has spread to the neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara.
