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“Humanitarian nightmare” in Ethiopia: famine threatens death for 30,000 children in Tigray

2021-06-12T07:24:46.768Z


In the grip of war, the Tigray region saw the development of a major famine which threatened "the lives of hundreds of thousands of people."


The hour is bad in the Ethiopian region of Tigray, where famine is added to war.

Tens of thousands of malnourished children are at risk of dying in hard-to-reach areas in this territory, which the conflict has made very difficult to access.

"Without humanitarian access to increase our aid, some 30,000 children suffering from severe malnutrition in these extremely inaccessible areas are at great risk of dying," warned this Friday in Geneva, James Elder, spokesperson for UNICEF.

Act "quickly and vigorously"

On Thursday, on the eve of a summit of G7 leaders in the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union (EU) issued an urgent call to action.

“Famine may already be underway in some areas, threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

This is unacceptable, ”said the American ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

“To avoid a humanitarian catastrophe, the entire international community must act directly and indirectly, quickly and vigorously,” said Janez Lenarcic, the European Commissioner responsible for crisis management.

Read also Death of civilians and mass exodus: 5 minutes to understand the conflict in Tigray

A closed-door meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday.

“We are witnessing a humanitarian nightmare (…).

We cannot let Ethiopia starve.

We must act now, ”said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, denouncing a“ man-made ”emergency.

The conflict does not weaken.

Last November, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, sent the federal army to this region in the north of the country to arrest and disarm the leaders of the TPLF (Front for the Liberation of the People of Tigray) .

He then promised a short military operation, but many reports point to atrocities, including the widespread use of rape.

Aid blocked by belligerents

According to the United Nations, more than 90% of the more than five million people living in Tigray are in need of emergency food aid.

They have launched an urgent appeal for more than $ 200 million in order to step up their response.

“We really need everyone to come together,” said Mark Lowcock, UN humanitarian chief of operations.

The United States has announced additional funding of $ 181 million to "provide vital food, agricultural products, clean water, shelter, health care and essential services" to people in need in Africa. Tiger.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, for her part announced on Wednesday an aid of 250 million euros "to fight against hunger", including 50 million euros specially allocated to the Sahel and Africa. Is. But the fight against this famine is not progressing any more than the resolution of the conflict: for the time being, the delivery of aid is blocked by the belligerents.

Source: leparis

All news articles on 2021-06-12

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