UN, Ethiopia sign deal for humanitarian access to Tigray

This will allow the first aid to the region of 6 million people that has been cut off during fighting that began a month ago between the federal and Tigray regional governments

December 02, 2020 04:58 pm | Updated 04:58 pm IST - Nairobi

Tigray refugees who fled the conflict in the Ethiopia's Tigray arrive on the banks of the Tekeze River on the Sudan-Ethiopia border, in Hamdayet, eastern Sudan, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020.

Tigray refugees who fled the conflict in the Ethiopia's Tigray arrive on the banks of the Tekeze River on the Sudan-Ethiopia border, in Hamdayet, eastern Sudan, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020.

The United Nations says it and Ethiopia’s government have signed a deal to allow unimpeded humanitarian access to the embattled Tigray region, at least the parts under federal government control.

This will allow the first aid to the region of 6 million people that has been cut off during fighting that began a month ago between the federal and Tigray regional governments. Each regards the other as illegal in a power struggle that has been months in the making.

For weeks, the U.N. and others have pleaded for aid access amid reports of food, medicines and other supplies running out.

A U.N. humanitarian spokesman says the first mission to carry out a needs assessment begins on Wednesday.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.