DDespite the unilateral ceasefire, the number of people facing hunger in Tigray, a crisis area in Ethiopia, has further increased. “It is estimated that more than 400,000 people have crossed the threshold of famine, and another 1.8 million people are on the brink of famine,” said Ramesh Rajashingham, acting head of the United Nations Emergency Relief Office, at a special security meeting on Friday. Said at the meeting.Council United Nations in New York. Other data even assume that more people are starving.
The conflict between the government and the local rebels in Tigray escalated in November. The Ethiopian government launched a military offensive against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which had previously held power in the area. Hundreds of thousands of people fled because of the conflict, and the conflict became more and more complicated, including the armed forces from neighboring Eritrea.
On Monday night, the Ethiopian government unexpectedly announced a unilateral ceasefire-the regional capital Merkel has been under the control of the rebels ever since.
Rajah Singham also told the Security Council that 2 million people are still displaced in the northern part of the country. In addition, there are 5.2 million people who depend on humanitarian assistance, “most of whom are women or children.”
The ceasefire should actually allow humanitarian organizations to work unhindered in the area. However, for months, aid organizations have been hampered by the security situation, bureaucratic obstacles, and insufficient electricity, Internet, and telephone connections. Recently, the important humanitarian passage to Tigray was destroyed.
At the same time, United Nations political affairs representative Rosemary DiCarlo warned that despite the progress of the ceasefire, Tigray still has “the possibility of further confrontation and rapid deterioration of the security situation”.
