UN warns of depleting aid and fuel as Ethiopia's Tigray crisis worsens

The aid crisis in Ethiopia's Tigray region is worsening with stocks of relief aid, cash and fuel "running very low or depleted", the United Nations said. Since July 12, only 10% of the supplies of relief has reached the stranded people due to intense fighting in the region, according to the UN aid coordination office OCHA. UN further said that the only accessible route to Tigray was through the Afar region using the Semera-Abala corridor, but this has been shut since August 22 after conflict erupted in the region.

According to various humanitarian partners, an estimated 100 trucks of food, non-food items, and fuel is required in Tigray on a daily basis to assist the region with adequate resources. The organisation further said that to send supplies, OCHA requires at least 200,000 litres for the humanitarian response every week.

Since the second week of July, only as little as 282,000 litres have reached Tigray and nothing has reached the region since August 16. The UN agency further said that at least USD 7 million is needed every week to sustain humanitarian operations in Tigray, which is equivalent to 300 million birrs in local currency. These transactions include staff salaries, local procurement, and cash-based assistance. Since July 12, only 47 million birrs have been given to the UN agency for assistance.

What is the ongoing conflict in Tigray and Ethiopia?

The conflict between the Ethiopian troops and the Tigray Defence Force has been ongoing for a 10-month period. Due to the constant fighting in the Tigray and the Afar, the Amhara regions has continued to affect civilians, resulting in food insecurity, displacement, and the disruption of livelihoods. According to the UN's report on the conflict, more than 1.7 million people are being feared to be facing an acute shortage of food in Afar and Amhara. Earlier in August, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that "a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding before our eyes" as more than two million people had been displaced, and reportedly 300,000 more people were displaced in Afar and Amhara alone. Almost half a million people are living in conditions that are like famine. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said that 100,000 face severe acute malnutrition within the year.

(With ANI inputs)