WHO boss: Tigray situation catastrophic, Eritrea and Ethiopian troops blocking humanitarian aid

NAIROBI, Kenya - The current situation in Tigray still remains "catastrophic", World Health Organization [WHO] Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom says, just a few days after Addis Ababa declared unlimited humanitarian access to the region.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his administration welcomes humanitarian assistance to the Tigray region after over 17 months of hostilities between Tigray Defense Forces and Ethiopia National Defense Forces [ENDF], a move which was welcomed by the Tigray militia.

The United Nations, African Union, and IGAD were among the first entities to welcome a humanitarian truce as millions of people face possible starvation in the country. The conflict has left thousands of people dead and millions displaced.

But Dr. Tedros Adhanom, who hails from Ethiopia, on Tuesday accused ENDF and Eritrean troops of still imposing a blockade on Tigray, adding that the region does not have fuel or communication infrastructure, further making it difficult for humanitarian teams to access the region.

"In Ethiopia, 6 million people in Tigray have been under blockade by Ethiopian and Eritrean forces for almost 500 days. 83% of the population is food insecure. There is almost no fuel, cash, or communications," he said. "The situation is catastrophic. People are dying."

The complaints come days after Bloomberg reported sighting Ethiopian troops moving to Kobo town in the Amhara region where regional troops have been accused before of blocking humanitarian trucks heading to the Tigray region.

Getachew Reda, the official spokesperson of TDF, also confirmed that despite the ceasefire which was declared by Addis Ababa, most humanitarian assistance teams are yet to access Tigray due to the huge military presence along Tigray borders.

"It has been two days since Ethiopian Authorities announced what they call a “humanitarian truce in Tigray” to, among other things, enable aid to get into Tigray. Nothing has arrived at Tigray as of yet. Although we hope the authorities will break with tradition and honor their promises, we have not seen any sign to believe that that is so.

"We will continue to steer clear of cynicism and maintain our faint faith that the authorities will honor their words. In the meantime, the GoT is always ready to play a proactive and constructive role," he noted.

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar last week sought answers over the situation in Tigray, arguing that the world needs to know whether or not Ethiopia is respecting the humanitarian truce. Addis Ababa maintains it has given unlimited access to the region.

GAROWE ONLINE