World Health Organization’s (WHO) Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated that less than a hundred trucks have visited the region in a month. Three weeks after the mini-truce in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, just 4% of essential food aid reached the target districts.
In a tweet, WHO Chief stated, “A truce declared 3+ weeks ago, but only 69 humanitarian trucks, accounting for 4% of the requirements were let in”.
“The situation is critical. People are also dying, and the siege lifted for good.”
“Food aid is sent into Tigray mostly by road through the Afar area”
“Humanitarian relief providers estimate that 100 trucks carrying food, non-food products, and gasoline must enter the region every day in order for the situation to normalize”.
“In a battle that began in November 2020, Eritrean and Ethiopian armies are blamed for cutting off seven million people from the world.”
“They are battling the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a left-wing ethnic nationalist paramilitary organization”.
“Both fighting groups accused of egregious breaches of human rights”.
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Ethiopian National Disaster Risk Management Commission (NDRMC)said thaT TPLF’s invasion of Afar State, where fighting has shifted since the Tigray mini-truce, has resulted in 1.3 million civilians in need of food relief.
The NDRMC also stated that the new fighting front was hurting food aid distribution in crisis areas.
“The violence is not only increasing the number of displaced residents but also the biggest impediment to giving required humanitarian relief to the needy,” NDRMC public relations chief Debebe Zewde stated.
The violence in Afar has the potential to jeopardize the mini-truce and the likelihood of peace negotiations.
World Bank approves an R4.8 billion grant for Conflict-affected communities in Ethiopia Project
Meanwhile, the World Bank has approved an R4.8 billion International Development Association (IDA) grant.
This grant is for the Response-Recovery-Resilience for Conflict-Affected Communities in Ethiopia Project.
This is to address conflict-related challenges such as destruction of private and public assets, gender-based violence, sexual abuse, and hunger.
“The initiative will therefore support efforts to meet communities’ urgent needs, rehabilitate/recover infrastructure destroyed by violence”.
“It will also improve community resilience to the effects of conflict in a sustained way,” the World Bank stated.
The project will also target the regions of Afar, Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz, Oromia, and Tigray, which impacted by the ongoing conflict.
The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) founded in 1960.
This is to assist world’s poorest countries by providing loans for projects.
And also support programs that promote economic growth, alleviate poverty, and also enhance the lives of the poor.
