UN given ‘unimpeded’ aid access to Ethiopia’s Tigray

Ethiopia has granted the United Nations full access to deliver aid to the northern region of Tigray, following weeks of lobbying amid military operations there.

According to reports, the agreement, signed by Ethiopia's peace minister, allows for “unimpeded, sustained and secure access for humanitarian personnel and services to vulnerable populations in [government]-administered areas in Tigray and bordering areas of Amhara and Afar regions.”

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, last year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, announced military operations against leaders of Tigray's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), on November 4, saying they were in response to TPLF-organized attacks on federal army camps.

Thousands have died in subsequent fighting and tens of thousands have fled into neighboring Sudan.

The government blocked phone and internet connections and restricted access to Tigray, making it difficult to assess conditions within the region.

The UN has been warning for weeks about a possible humanitarian catastrophe.

Around 600,000 people living in Tigray depended on food handouts before the fighting began, among them 96,000 Eritrean refugees. Food, fuel and cash are in short supply, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), while the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says basic medical equipment is lacking.

A senior UN official said on Wednesday the aid agreement would allow the UN and humanitarian partners to administer assistance “wherever people are in need.”

The officials said needs assessments would begin “as soon as we get clearance from our security staff.”

SS