UN agencies call for civilian protection in Tigray

The United Nations on Tuesday called for the protection of civilians in Tigray as Ethiopia’s prime minister declared “the final and crucial” military operation will launch in the coming days against the government of the country’s rebellious Tigray region.

UN agencies warn of a “full-scale humanitarian crisis” with refugees fleeing and people in Tigray starting to go hungry.

In a warning to Americans still in the Tigray region, the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia said those who can't leave safely “are advised to shelter in place.”

More than 1,000 citizens of various foreign countries are estimated to be trapped.

Some 4,000 refugees keep arriving every day, a “very rapid” rate, U.N. refugee agency spokesman Babar Baloch told reporters in Geneva.

Inside the Tigray region, cut off from the world with roads and airports closed, food and fuel and medical supplies are running desperately short.

“Our partners warn that supplies will soon be exhausted, putting millions at risk of food insecurity and disease,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Alarmed African neighbors including Uganda and Kenya are calling for a peaceful resolution, but Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government regards the Tigray regional government as illegal after it defiantly held a local election in September.

The Tigray regional government objects to the postponement of national elections until next year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and considers Abiy's federal government illegal, saying its mandate has expired.