Lack of access hinders aid delivery to Tigray
A global humanitarian organisation says delivery of critical humanitarian assistance to millions of people in Ethiopia’s war-torn Tigray region has been hindered by lack of access.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said humanitarian operations have not begun since conflict broke out in the region last year.
“Aid organisations are unable to reach the Central and Western parts of the region, and two refugee camps are completely inaccessible,” the NRC said in a statement on Monday.
“In the few instances where agencies are accessing the region, it is limited to areas along major roads or the capital Mekelle.”
According to the NRC, access to the Tigray region remains significantly constrained.
“Aid workers face an unpredictable approval process with blurred lines of authorisations as well as unclear and shifting approval procedures,” the statement says.
A number of international humanitarians have urged the Ethiopian government to grant unrestricted and unhindered access to conflict-affected areas.
Addis Ababa made a deal with the United Nations that it would allow a humanitarian corridor for the delivery of emergency aid to millions of people, including the more than 25,000 Eritrean refugees sheltered at two camps in the region.
A recent United Nations situation report indicated that some 4.5 million people in the Tigray region are in need of emergency food assistance, a figure Ethiopia said was exaggerated.
The federal government’s military operation in Tigray ended in late November after the federal forces took control of Mekelle, ousting the TPLF, the former regional ruling party.
However, sporadic fighting has reportedly continued in many parts of Tigray.
Edited by Olajumoke Adeleke
