UN: Displacements in Ethiopia increase the need for relief

Increasingly, the conflict in northern Ethiopia is driving people from their homes, preventing them from accessing markets, food, and essential services, UN Humanitarians said.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Friday that a total of 9.4 million people live in the area under siege, with at least 400,000 of them suffering famine-like conditions. The violence in the Afar, Amhara, and Tigray regions is causing new displacements. Despite some humanitarian access beginning in the area after being severely limited for weeks, it is still lacking, the office said, Xinhua reported.

A total of 157 trucks containing humanitarian supplies arrived in Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, between November 24 and 30, according to OCHA. Since October 18, there has been no fuel delivery to Tigray. Eight tankers are awaiting clearance at Semera staging area in Afar. UN Humanitarian Air Service flights resumed on November 24 between Addis Ababa and Mekelle following suspension on October 22. It enables the UN and partners to rotate Tigray staff and transfer limited operational cash.

Despite significantly reduced capacity, OCHA reported, partners in Tigray delivered lifesaving assistance. Over 27,000 people in Tigray received water and sanitation assistance during the past week, while over 23,000 people received health aid and about 179,000 people received food assistance. According to the office, partners in Amhara and Afar are scaling up their responses, including food, nutrition interventions, and health services. OCHA said there is a funding gap of 1.2 billion dollars for humanitarian response in Ethiopia, including 335 million dollars for the northern regions. The growing humanitarian needs in the north and elsewhere in Ethiopia will increase humanitarian operation expenditures in 2022.