People running out of food, water in Ethiopia’s Tigray: UN

United Nations, Dec 11 : People in Ethiopia’s conflict-rideen Tigray state reportedly are running out of food because of a lack of access for the UN and its partners, it was announced.
In a statement on Thursday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that while the full extent of the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia’s northernmost regional state remains unclear, food for the displaced has run out, reports Xinhua news agency.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said that it has also received worrying reports of refugees leaving camps in Tigray due to violence and the lack of food and services.
The US has been complaining for weeks that the Ethiopian government has not granted access to the needy in Tigray and adjacent states. Communication lines were also reportedly down.
“The delivery of essential humanitarian assistance to the region by the United Nations and its partners depends on a security risk assessment of the roads leading to Tigray and a humanitarian assessment of basic needs,” OCHA said.
“The UN and its humanitarian partners reiterate the urgent call on all parties to the conflict in Tigray to allow unconditional, unfettered and safe humanitarian access to the whole region, where people are now in their fifth week without food, water and power,” it added.