The humanitarian situation in Tigray, Ethiopia, is extremely alarming and continues to deteriorate rapidly as restricted access due to insecurity and bureaucratic obstacles have prevented aid workers from providing life-saving assistance to people affected by the conflict, said UN humanitarians on Friday.
The humanitarian response remains drastically inadequate, and aid operations are still limited to people living in the towns along the main roads from Mekelle to Shire, and two refugee camps, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
One of the reasons for the inadequate assistance is the delay in approvals from the federal government for movements of aid workers to Tigray.
The United Nations and nongovernmental organizations have now nearly 80 humanitarian workers in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, ready to move.
But the clearance process has now been pending for more than a month, it said. Despite the challenges, the United Nations, along with its humanitarian partners, has managed to provide some urgent assistance, said OCHA.
Across the region, 250,000 people were reached with two months’ ration of full basket of food as of Tuesday.
Several health facilities were identified with critical need of medical supplies, logistics, and capacity-building.
Medical kits were dispatched to Alamata General Hospital to address the health needs of up to 130,000 people.
Essential supplies and equipment have also been procured to another hospital to assist nearly 65,000 people.
In southern Tigray, health kits have been distributed to 4 hospitals and 14 health centers so far, it said.
Medicines, nutrition supplies and equipment for the treatment and prevention of acute malnutrition have been pre-positioned by the UN Children’s Fund in Mekelle and some dispatched to 10 hospitals in main cities in partially accessible areas.
The United Nations continues to engage and call on the federal government for immediate, safe and unimpeded access of humanitarian personnel and supplies to all parts of Tigray, said OCHA.
