Africa-Press Ethiopia<\/p>\n
UNICEF, the UN agency responsible for children, has warned that millions of children are still cut off from aid in Ethiopia\u2019s conflict-riven Tigray region, despite promises by the federal government earlier this month to allow humanitarian agencies access.<\/p>\n
Some 2.3 million minors are struggling to access basic humanitarian assistance like treatment for malnourishment, critical vaccines, emergency medicines, and water and sanitation supplies, UNICEF executive director Henrietta Fore said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are extremely concerned that the longer access to them is delayed, the worse their situation will become as supplies of food, including ready-to-use therapeutic food for the treatment of child malnutrition, medicines, water, fuel and other essentials run low.\u201d<\/p>\n
TSUNAMI OF REFUGEES
\nThe conflict between government forces and the Tigray People\u2019s Liberation Front (TPLF) began in early November and threatens to undo years of progress in Africa\u2019s second-most populous country, as well as the wider Horn of Africa region, analysts have said.<\/p>\n
Over 50,000 Ethiopian refugees have now crossed into Sudan, according to the UNHCR, the UN\u2019s refugee agency, of which nearly half are children.<\/p>\n
UNICEF called for \u201curgent, sustained, unconditional and impartial humanitarian access\u201d to the families affected and urged the Ethiopian government to allow the free movement of civilians wishing to seek safety elsewhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cProtecting these children, many of whom are refugees and internally displaced, and providing them with humanitarian aid must be a priority,\u201d Fore added.<\/p>\n
BROKEN PROMISES
\nAn agreement with the federal government, announced on December 2 by the UN, was supposed to allow aid workers \u201cunimpeded, sustained and secure access\u201d to those in need of humanitarian supplies in areas now under government control.<\/p>\n
However, the UN was forced to call again for \u201cunfettered access to Tigray in order to reach people in need,\u201d before UNICEF\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n
Ethiopia\u2019s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in a tweet that \u201cour humanitarian assistance efforts will also continue strengthened to attend to the vulnerable. We will restore, rebuild, and develop.\u201d<\/p>\n
The World Food Programme (WFP), winner of the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, has struggled to respond to the tsunami of refugees in Sudan and has appealed to the international community to step up donations.<\/p>\n
UNHCR and its partners also need support to prevent Covid-19 outbreaks among the refugees living in overcrowded conditions, including more handwashing stations, PPE kits, and information campaigns, the agency said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe situation overall is very fluid and very concerning,\u201d the regional director for the International Committee of the Red Cross, Patrick Youssef said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver a month since the start of the crisis\u2026 we\u2019ve witnessed a shortness of food, access to bathing services, but also Mekelle for example has been struggling with water supplies. So basic, basic services.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Africa-Press Ethiopia UNICEF, the UN agency responsible for children, has warned that millions of children are still cut off from aid in Ethiopia\u2019s conflict-riven Tigray region, despite promises by the federal government earlier this month to allow humanitarian agencies access. Some 2.3 million minors are struggling to access basic humanitarian assistance like treatment for malnourishment, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":1332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[241,236],"class_list":["post-1330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-africa-press-ethiopia","tag-tigray"],"yoast_head":"\n