Nairobi – The Ethiopian region of Tigray has never had so little emergency food, after 14 months of war, the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said on Thursday.
“The scale of food distributions has reached an all-time low in Tigray as food stocks and fuel have almost been entirely exhausted,” the Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in its latest report on Ethiopia’s humanitarian situation.
It said that because of fighting, no deliveries have been possible since December 14 along the main aid corridor running from Semera, the capital of the neighbouring Afar region, and Mekele, the Tigrayan capital.
More than 2 400 tons of food aid as well as equipment are blocked at Semera, it added.
Fuel is in extremely short supply in Tigray, where deliveries have not been allowed since August 2, with the exception of two trucks of the UN World Food Programme, OCHA said.
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“WFP reported that stocks of nutritionally fortified food for the treatment of malnourished children and women are now exhausted,” it added.
“Overall, 1,338 trucks have entered the region since 12 July, which represents less than 10 percent of the required supplies needed to meet the vast scale of humanitarian needs of 5.2 million people, or 90 percent of the population in Tigray,” the report said.
Ethiopia’s war broke out in November 2020 following months of mounting rancour between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and the former ruling party of the northernmost Tigray region, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
The see-saw struggle began with federal and allied forces taking over most of the region before being largely forced out by resurgent rebels last June.
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The TPLF then launched an offensive into the neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions and in November came within roughly 200km (125 miles) of Addis Ababa, prompting hasty evacuations as countries including the US and France urged their citizens to get out.
But a government counter-offensive – featuring visits by Abiy himself to the conflict zone – turned the tide yet again.
Last month the TPLF announced it had retreated into Tigray, and for now the army has mostly opted not to pursue the rebels on the ground.
But a series of drone strikes in the Tigray region have killed 108 clvilians in less than three weeks.
The fighting has displaced millions and pushed hundreds of thousands to the brink of famine, the UN has said.
Britain’s minister in charge of African affairs, Vicky Ford, hailed the recent release of opposition figures and an appeal by the authorities for a national dialogue.
“The UK continues to call on all parties to stop fighting and stands ready to support a peace process,” Ford said after a one-day visit to the country.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Getty Images
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