Ethiopia: 1.8 million people in the conflict region Tigray are threatened with hunger

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Malnourished child in Ethiopia: more and more people are at risk of starvation

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Ben Curtis / AP

The humanitarian crisis in the Ethiopian conflict region of Tigray has worsened, according to the UN, said the acting head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha), Ramesh Rajasingham, at a meeting of the Security Council on Friday.

The situation in Tigray has "deteriorated dramatically" in the past few weeks.

1.8 million inhabitants of the region are threatened with hunger.

"33,000 children are seriously malnourished," said Rajasingham.

"The lives of many of these people depend on us reaching them with food and medicine." This help must be immediate.

“Not next week.

Now, ”emphasized the Ocha boss.

Months of fighting, reports of excesses of violence

The United States, Ireland and Great Britain requested the meeting of the UN Security Council.

It was the first public meeting of the panel since November.

Previously, several African member states had resisted, which see the conflict in Tigray as an internal issue for Ethiopia.

Permanent Security Council members China and Russia also share this view.

Ethiopian government troops attacked the TPLF ruling Tigray in November.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, justified the invasion by saying that insurgents had previously attacked military bases.

Shortly afterwards he declared the TPLF defeated.

But even months later, the fighting continued.

Again and again there were reports of excesses of violence and numerous civilian victims.

On Monday the government in Addis Ababa announced a unilateral ceasefire until September after the insurgents marched into the regional capital Mek'ele.

The fighters of the People's Liberation Front TPLF rejected the ceasefire.

There is evidence that they are now planning to extend their struggle to regions beyond Tigray.

Hunger and rape as weapons of war

Until the election of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the TPLF was the most powerful group in Ethiopia.

After Abiy took office, the Tigrayers openly opposed the central government by holding regional elections.

As a result, Abiy's troops began a brutal campaign - supported by the army of neighboring Eritrea, the long-time arch enemy of Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian military and its allies had largely occupied the northern region of Tigray since November last year.

The offensive was directed not only against the fighters, but against the entire Tigray population.

Hunger and rape were deliberately and extensively used as weapons of war.

The brutal actions of the opposing troops evidently gave the Tigray combat units an influx so that they could regroup and launch a successful counter-offensive.

irb / AFP / Reuters