Humanitarian Supplies Arrive in Ethiopia's Tigray Region

The overall situation in northern Ethiopia remains generally calm but unpredictable as humanitarian supplies continue to arrive in the conflict-affected Tigray region, according to the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).

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In its latest report issued over the weekend, UNOCHOA said humanitarian supplies have been arriving in the Tigray region via the Semera-Abala-Mekelle road.

Between April 1 and June 6, over 65,500 metric tons (MT) of food have been brought into Mekelle, capital of Tigray region by the main food partners through 18 humanitarian convoys. At least 14,700 MT have been distributed to over 907,000 people in the region as of June 1.

The overall operating environment in northern Ethiopia remains constrained mainly by the lack of essential services and functioning markets, as well as the inability to bring in sufficient supplies, fuel, and cash to Tigray, limited access to people in hard-to-reach areas, and limited presence of partners on the ground in some areas.

UNOCHA points out that over 9 million people need food assistance in northern Ethiopia throughout 2022. It also warned that the existing funding is far from sufficient to cover the humanitarian needs.

As Ethiopia's main planting season approaches, the lack of fertilizers and seeds coupled with lack of veterinary vaccines and treatment drugs in Tigray and other affected areas could hinder the planting season.

Meanwhile, the ongoing drought affecting the Horn of Africa is expanding to northeast areas of the country and notably to Afar region, further aggravating the humanitarian situation.