The EU denounced on Friday 14 May the obstacles put by Ethiopia to the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Tigray region in the north of the country, calling for sanctions against this "
serious violation of international humanitarian law
" according to it.
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"
The use of humanitarian aid as a weapon of war constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law and endangers the lives of millions of people
", warned in a statement the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell and the commissioner for humanitarian assistance Janez Lenarcic.
The European Union (EU) has repeatedly called for full humanitarian access to all areas, but the reality, confirmed by the United Nations, is the maintenance of checkpoints by military forces, denounced the two European officials.
"
The roadblocks hamper aid to reach rural areas, where the humanitarian crisis is most serious,
" they accused.
At least 5.2 million of Tigray's 5.7 million people need emergency food aid, they said. "
According to the United Nations, only about 12% of the three million people in need of emergency shelter and non-food items have been reached since May 3,
" they recalled. “
Immediate and large-scale assistance must be provided, in order to avoid famine. Those responsible for deliberately preventing timely access will be held to account,
”the two officials concluded.
Tigray has been the scene of fighting since early November 2020, after the decision of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to send the army to dislodge the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the party which then ruled the region and has since contested. several months the authority of the federal government. The European Commission in December suspended the payment of some 90 million euros in budgetary aid to Ethiopia, because Addis Ababa failed to guarantee full humanitarian access to Tigray.