KHARTOUM, Sudan
The rapidly deteriorating situation in northern Ethiopia has severely impacted civilians and reportedly resulted in large-scale displacements and relief needs, UN humanitarians said on Monday.
Fighting
and hostilities in and around Dessie and Kombolcha towns in the Amhara region
over the weekend reportedly resulted in large-scale displacement and increasing
humanitarian needs, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA). The two towns were already hosting a large number of displaced
people from nearby areas.
“The
escalation of hostilities risks worsening the already dire humanitarian
situation in Tigray, Amhara and Afar, where millions of people need urgent
life-saving assistance,” the OCHA said.
“Humanitarian
supplies including food, nutrition, medicine, water, sanitation and hygiene,
shelter and non-food items are reportedly available, but the delivery of urgent
humanitarian assistance has been hampered by ongoing insecurity,” the office
said.
Restrictions
imposed on the delivery of humanitarian supplies into Tigray continue, the OCHA
said. Since early August, fuel for the humanitarian response has not entered
Tigray, forcing UN humanitarian partners to suspend or significantly reduce
humanitarian programs.
The
movement of humanitarian workers in and out of Tigray via road remains
restricted. The office also said personnel movement by air remains suspended.
The
United Nations continues to call on all parties to the conflict to protect
civilians and civilian infrastructure and facilitate the free and safe movement
of humanitarian supplies and personnel as required by international
humanitarian law, the OCHA said.
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