Ethiopia: UN forced to stop some humanitarian aid to Tigray as conflict escalates

United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said on Thursday, that some assistance programmes in Ethiopia had to be curtailed or closed due to intensifying and unpredictable conflict. Calling for attention to blockade to contested region, global aid body asserted that even basic goods and services like fuel are also t allowed to enter region. According to data provided by OCHA, re are at least 14 fuel tankers in Samera, waiting for permissions to Tigray at present. 

t only fuel, but UN body said that cash and or humanitarian supplies have also been denied entry to Tigray-which is controlled by Tigray Defence Forces (TDF). Roughly 100 trucks with succour are required by conflict-hit region every day, as per official data. However, only 1% of total population was able to access humanitarian supplies. 

“Between 7-13 October, only about 52,000 people reached with food or 1 per cent of targeted population in Tigray, in which half of m received only one or two food items,” OCHA said in a situational report.  percent of children identified with severe acute malnutrition in Tigray is rising on weekly basis and alarming at above two per cent," it added. 

Furrmore, humanitarian officials reminded all involved parties-Ethiopian government and rebel forces- that y are obligated under UN mandate to protect civilians and infrastructure. On October 21, two airstrikes on Mekelle killed three children and injured ten or people. Just a day earlier, a separate aerial attack had inflicted severe wounds on several people. 

"Several UN and n-governmental organisations have reduced or shut down programs due to depletion or severe shorts of fuel, cash and supplies," humanitarian office said. 

Tigray-Ethiopia Conflict

Months after bel Peace Prize winner Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took chair, he launched a "coordinated attack" against rebel forces in rrn Tigray region in vember 2020. Prime Minister made call after Afar leftist political front TPLF sieged a key Ethiopian military base at Sero by using tanks and machine guns. This had led to ignition of a 10-months long prolonged war in region.

Im: AP