Nearly three months after the start of conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, hundreds of thousands of people have yet to
receive assistance, the United Nations reported on Wednesday, citing information from its humanitarian coordination
agency, OCHA.
“Humanitarian assistance continues to be constrained by the lack of full, and safe, unhindered access to Tigray, caused
by both insecurity and bureaucratic delays”, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists.
“The UN and its humanitarian partners in Ethiopia urgently call on all parties to allow the immediate safe passage of
humanitarian personnel and their supplies to the Tigray Region to be able toreach all people who desperately need
assistance.”Over two million in need
Mr. Dujarric said the UN continues to receive alarming reports of civilians being injured and killed in rural areas in
Tigray, as well as of violations against civilians, though verification remains a challenge.
“Aid workers have been able to deliver assistance in some areas, mainly in cities, where access has been granted by the
authorities. However, the number of people reached is extremely low compared to the 2.3 million people we estimate are
in need of life-saving assistance”, he said.
The situation is particularly critical for newly displaced people and refugees, especially those who were living in two
camps that remain inaccessible, according to OCHA.
Humanitarians further warn that the majority of the 270,000 people receiving benefits through the Government’s Safety
Net Programme have also been without assistance as banks in most rural areas have been closed since before the crisis
began.
“These are extremely vulnerable people who rely on monthly cash transfers to meet their basic needs,” said Mr. Dujarric.