The United Nations announced on Monday that 40 million U.S. dollars in funds had been made available to scale up emergency operations in Ethiopia’s conflict-affected north.
The UN’s top emergency relief official, Martin Griffiths, said that millions of people in northern Ethiopia are now “living on a knife-edge, as the humanitarian crisis is growing deeper and wider.”
After returning from a visit to Ethiopia, the undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator said that needs are rising across the country, and that the funds would help aid organizations reach some of the most vulnerable.
The situation has spiraled since November 2020, when central government troops clashed with forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. And neighboring regions Amhara and Afar have also been swept up in the deadly violence and terrible rights abuses.
The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) allocation will also support relief agencies providing protection and other life-saving assistance to people affected there as well.
“Women, boys and girls continue to bear the brunt of the conflict, yet their protection needs remain underfunded,” Griffiths warned. His comments came after the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that 364 aid trucks have been waiting for authorization to access Tigray since Oct. 18.
According to OCHA’s latest update, the situation in northern Ethiopia remains highly unpredictable with civilians severely impacted and a broad state of emergency declared nationwide.
“It is estimated that 80 percent of essential medication is no longer available in Tigray while most health facilities are not functional due to damage and lack of supplies,” OCHA explained.
Only 19 of the 59 mobile health and nutrition teams operating at the end of August are still providing services, owing to a lack of supplies and fuel, the UN humanitarian Office said.
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