While aid is reaching into most of Ethiopia’s Tigray region since fighting ended, it’s in some adjacent regions where needs are extremely high, a UN spokesman said on Friday.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that since mid-November 2022, 3,000 trucks carrying more than 105,000 metric tons of food, health, shelter, water and other supplies had been brought into Tigray through four road corridors, said Stephane Dujarric, the chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Dujarric said that following the cessation of hostilities agreement in early November, the UN Humanitarian Air Service and Ethiopian Airlines are regularly flying into Tigray. Food has been distributed to more than 3 million people, reports Xinhua news agency.
“However, some areas remain hard to reach, including some border areas in the north and areas off the main roads,” he said.
“Humanitarian needs remain extremely high in parts of Afar and Amhara that were impacted by the conflict.”
The spokesman said food distribution and other assistance continue, although gaps remain, including in areas where displaced people are returning to their homes.
He pointed out that communities in the eastern and southern parts of Ethiopia continue to suffer from the devastating drought impacting the Horn of Africa.