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Aid agencies have also helped provide access to hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, just days after the federal government in Addis Ababa one stop of war in disagreement for eight months when the terrorists took over the provincial capital, Mekelle.
The government in Addis Ababa says its “departure” is proper movement and said it was taken in a humanitarian way, with the aim of helping to create agriculture in the mountainous region. He also said the ceasefire announced on Monday would remain in place until the planting season ends in September.
But Getachew Reda, a spokesman for Tigrayan’s military, denied the government’s call to end the war as a “sick joke” and said he would not stop until he returned to the area. Getachew went on to say that troops had been evacuated from Mekelle but were still fighting to retake territories, adding that their Eritrean allies still controlled the “large portion” of Tigray.
Eritrea, whose soldiers have been accused of mistreating him during the war, has not said anything since the Ethiopian government announced it.
Electricity and connections are currently being cut across the entire Tigray, making the work of humanitarian groups as difficult as the community of about six million people. a major global famine crisis ten years.
To make matters worse, the International Rescue Committee said on Thursday that a bridge over the Tekeze River near the Shire town north of Tigray had been destroyed.
“This was one of the main routes to Tigray which means that supported services will be more successful than ever,” it warned.
We are saddened to hear that the Tekeze Bridge — one of the main routes to Tigray, Ethiopia — has been damaged. This means that support services will also be severely restricted amid ongoing conflicts. The IRC continues to ask for help for vulnerable people in the area.
– IRC – International Rescue Committee (@RESCUEorg) July 1, 2021
“The crisis is serious and has worsened in recent months,” Alyona Synenko, a spokeswoman for the Regional Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told Al Jazeera on Thursday.
“We are looking at the two million people who have left the area and are in urgent need of assistance,” Synenko said. “Finding food is very important. Good drinking water and shelter are in short supply. ”
The situation has worsened in rural areas where humanitarian agencies have not been able to reach them due to security concerns, according to the ICRC.
“The reports we are receiving in rural areas are very positive. Due to security concerns, farmers were unable to plant crops and their property was confiscated. They have no seeds or fertilizers, ”added Synenko.
Many farmers in the area rely on subsidized crops and fertilizers that receive loans from cooperatives – but have not been available since the dispute began.
Ethiopian troops backed by neighboring Eritrean troops and militants from the Ethiopian region of Amhara, south of Tigray, have been fighting the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) since November 2020 after Addis Ababa criticized the ruling party. that it is attacking the state’s military base, which denies TPLF officials.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, announced victory after the military invaded Mekelle on November 28. The war, however, continued, causing a temporary warning of war with disastrous consequences for civilians.
According to the United Nations, more than 350,000 people in Tigray are starving due to a “severe” food shortage, while another five million are in need of emergency assistance.
On Thursday, the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, said children in the region “continue to suffer”.
“UNICEF’s resources are ready, but in order to provide life-saving water, nutritious food, and health services to families in need, we need urgent, safe and sustainable opportunities,” the agency said. He said.
Abiy government has been pressured by other countries to end the conflict, which has claimed thousands of lives and perhaps even thousands.
On Tuesday, the United States said it would take action against Ethiopia and Eritrea if the war ends in Tigray.
In late May, Washington struck the frontier in Ethiopia, including blocking a number of existing or former Ethiopian and Eritrean government officials and security forces, as well as Amhara troops and members of the TPLF – all of whom believe they are “responsible for, or intervene in,”. weakening to deal with the crisis in Tigray ”.
Robert Godec, deputy secretary general of the Bureau of Affairs at the State Department, said this week the US “does not stand still in the face of threats to Tigray”.
For his part, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres He said spoke to Abiy on Tuesday, adding that he was looking forward to the “end” of violence in the area.
“It is important that civilians are protected, personal assistance reaches the needy and a political solution is found,” Guterres said.
On Thursday, the United Kingdom received a declaration calling for an end to the war in Ethiopia and called on all parties to the conflict to announce the same.
“Now the violence must be stopped and given the opportunity to help the people without suffering. Eritrean troops must also leave Tigray,” a spokesman for the UK’s foreign and civilian office said, adding that “it is important for a political process to be resolved.”
It came a day after Ethiopian officials said that government forces could take Mekelle in a matter of weeks if needed and warn Tigrayan troops not to prepare properly in areas where government troops have left.
“For those who will be able to reorganize, they will not go,” Lieutenant General Bacha Debele told reporters. “If they try to get angry, we will respond better and we will be more successful than before.”
According to Adem Kassie Abebe, program director at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, the departure of Ethiopian troops “could widen aid”.
“Most of the humanitarian aid came from Ethiopia,” he said he was told Al Jazeera Inside Story software. “Work needs to be done to ensure that there is an increase in donations in the event of a gap occurring.”
Synenko, of the ICRC, said the same.
“Humanitarian action will be severely curtailed if nothing is done. “We are confident that security will be strengthened so that we can reach out and help areas in need, especially in rural areas,” he said.
Follow Hamza Mohamed on Twitter: @Hamza_Africa
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