Aid Supplies to Tigray to Be Delivered by End of Week, Ethiopia’s PM Adviser Says
In this Saturday, May 8, 2021 file photo, an Ethiopian woman scoops up portions of wheat to be allocated to each waiting family after it was distributed by the Relief Society of Tigray in the town of Agula, in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia.
The ceasefire agreement signed by the government of Ethiopia and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) includes conditions such as humanitarian access restoration in the most affected region of Tigray, among other stipulations. However, the aid needed in the area hasn’t been delivered yet.Humanitarian aid will start reaching people who are experiencing hunger and disease in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray by the end of the week, stated Redwan Hussien, the national security adviser to the country’s prime minister. Following a ceasefire deal “aid would flow unhindered” as it was agreed during the peace talks, he said as quoted by the US State Department. Moreover, the “restoration of services, protection of civilians and human rights accountability” is expected. Millions of civilians in Tigray suffered extensively from the conflict that started in November 2020, and are now desperately in need for food, medicine and other basic supplies. The conflict created a situation where humanitarian aid into affected regions was extremely difficult to deliver, forcing humanitarian partners to either considerably reduce their operations or stop them. In total, according to the UN estimates, approximately six million residents have been affected by the situation. Recently, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, blasted the aid blockade amid ceasefire and called for immediate restoration of basic supplies with accordance to the deal. He also condemned the developed countries for not paying the crisis “the attention it deserves”.The agreement to cease hostilities in Nothern Ethiopia between the Federal Government of Ethiopia and the TPLF was reached on 2 November, 2022. The final round of talks between representatives of the parties is expected to end this week in Nairobi, Kenya.