More than 400,000 people have "
crossed the threshold of famine
" in Tigray, a region in northern Ethiopia at war for eight months, a senior UN official warned on Friday (July 2), the organization also urging the rebels to apply the ceasefire decreed by Ethiopia.
Read also: Ethiopia: the announced coronation of Abiy Ahmed overshadowed by the Tigray
The conflict in Tigray took a major turn on Monday, June 28 with the capture of the regional capital Mekele by forces loyal to the dissident regional authorities, from the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).
And two crucial bridges for the delivery of aid to Tigray were destroyed this week by Ethiopian forces, according to NGOs and the World Food Program.
The situation has "
worsened considerably
", said Friday (July 2) the Acting Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Ramesh Rajasingham, during the first public meeting of the UN Security Council on Tigray since. the outbreak of conflict in November.
“
Not next week.
Now
"
"
It is estimated that more than 400,000 people have crossed the threshold of famine and that an additional 1.8 million people are on the brink of famine,
" Ramesh Rajasingham warned. “
Some suggest the numbers are even higher. 33,000 children suffer from severe malnutrition
, ”he added. "
The lives of many of these people (in Tigray) depend on our ability to reach them with food, medicine
." “
We have to reach them now. Not next week. Now,
”he said.
The Ethiopian government on Friday (July 2) dismissed accusations saying it planned to block humanitarian aid to Tigray, which it lost control of this week. “
The insinuation that we plan to suffocate the Tigrayan people by denying humanitarian access and using hunger as a weapon of war is unacceptable,
” Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen told diplomats in a meeting. hotel in the capital Addis Ababa.
The UN is also urging the rebel forces, dubbed the Tigray Defense Forces, "
to immediately and completely endorse the ceasefire
" decreed by the Ethiopian government in the region, said the UN deputy secretary general for them. Political Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo. "
A ceasefire observed by all parties would not only facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, but would also be a starting point for the political efforts necessary to chart a way out of the crisis,
" she said. added. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner, sent the army to Tigray in early November 2020 to capture the leaders of the TPLF, whom he accused of orchestrating attacks on federal military bases.
"
Lives will be lost
"
Abiy Ahmed proclaimed victory after the capture of Mekele on November 28, but fighting never stopped between pro-TPLF forces and the Ethiopian army, backed up by troops from neighboring Amhara regional authorities and the army of Eritrea.
The war has plunged the region into a dire humanitarian situation.
According to the WFP, 5.2 million people, or 91% of the population of Tigray, are in need of emergency food assistance.
The UN agency said Friday it resumed aid operations after a two-day hiatus, hoping to reach 30,000 people "
by the weekend
".
But she lamented that two major bridges leading to Tigray had been destroyed, saying that "
lives will be lost if the supply routes to Tigray are not fully opened and if parties to the conflict continue to disrupt or disrupt. endangering the free flow
of aid.
Dialogue?
"
A ceasefire does not mean cutting off electricity in a region or destroying critical infrastructure
," EU foreign minister Josep Borrell said on Twitter on Friday.
"
A credible ceasefire means doing everything possible to ensure that aid reaches the millions of children, women and men who urgently need it
."
Facing diplomats, Demeke Mekonnen also said that after the national elections on June 21, which should give Abiy a new mandate, the government was preparing for an "
inclusive dialogue to resolve the Tigray crisis
".
"
This process should involve legal opposition parties, grassroots members of the TPLF who show a willingness to choose a peaceful path, the business community, civil society organizations, elders and other prominent figures.
" , did he declare.
But Ethiopian leaders said, however, that discussions with TPLF leaders were excluded.
Demeke Mekonnen, as well as the spokesperson of the government crisis cell for Tigray, Redwan Hussein, affirmed that Addis Ababa wanted to see
the leaders of the TPLF
sanctioned for their “
responsibilities
”. But some members of the TPLF are "
innocent
" and could be included in future discussions, said Demeke, according to these diplomats.