In January, WFP assisted 1.7 million people, including drought and floodaffected people, internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, and malnourished children and pregnant and lactating women and girls (PLWG0.
WFP assisted over 694,100 refugees through the distribution of in-kind food and cash-based transfers (CBT) in 22 refugee camps and seven sites. In total, WFP distributed 11,217 mt of food items and transferred USD 657,500 in cash.
the safety and security of humanitarian personnel must be ensured, in accordance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Since the beginning of the conflict in Tigray, the EU, together with its Member States, has been one of the largest humanitarian donors to the crisis and has been consistently advocating for the respect of IHL, including the obligation to protect civilians. I reiterate this call once more, condemning all crimes against civilians, including rape, and calling the perpetrators to be swiftly brought to justice.”
Drought-related displacement affects more and more people, but it is not the only type of displacement Ethiopia faces. More than a million new displacements associated with conflict and violence were also recorded in 2019.3
As aid must also be directed to people affected by inter-communal conflicts, humanitarian aid available to people displaced by drought has ended up being insufficient.
“Humanitarian needs, even basic survival needs like food security, health and shelter, are growing. What is more, violence is increasing in several parts of the country … On top of that, five months into the conflict, the situation in Tigray remains severe despite slight improvements, keeping millions of people in need of assistance, especially in rural and hard-to-reach areas,”
Ethiopia sent its troops to the northern region of Tigray in early November to fight against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, then the regional ruling party.
The TPLF withdrew from the regional capital Mekelle before the end of the month, and the Ethiopian government declared victory.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with his Finnish counterpart Pekka Haavisto in the capital Riyadh, the Kingdom’s foreign ministry said on Sunday.
The two sides held an official session of talks, in which the foreign minister welcomed Haavisto, who began his regional tour with a visit to the Kingdom after concluding a trip to Addis Ababa mandated by EU High Representative Josep Borrell.
The two sides agreed to join efforts to bridge the gap between the parties to the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, and to support all regional and international efforts in this regard.
“Neither the U.N. nor any of the humanitarian agencies we work with have seen proof of Eritrean withdrawal,” Lowcock told the Security Council on Thursday. “We have, however, heard some reports of Eritrean soldiers now wearing Ethiopian Defense Force uniforms.”
For months, both sides denied Eritreans were involved, contradicting testimony from residents, rights groups, aid workers, and diplomats.
The conflict arrived in the middle of the harvest in Tigray and for months humanitarian access was greatly restricted, prompting fears of widespread starvation.
Lowcock said he had received a report earlier on Thursday that 150 people had died from hunger in Tigray and warned that “starvation as a weapon of war is a violation.”
“There is no doubt that sexual violence is being used in this conflict as a weapon of war,” Lowcock said, adding the majority of rapes were committed by men in uniform, with accusations made against all the warring parties.
The United States provided supplies that will be used to build a temporary shelter for more than 80,000 people who had been forced to flee their homes after the conflict broke out in Ethiopia’s Tigray, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday
