Addis Ababa, November 18, 2021 (Walta) – The National Disaster Risk Management Commission (NDRMC) called on international aid agencies to augment assistance for the IDPs in Ethiopia as the relief assistance is not good enough.
Talking to local media, NDRMC Commissioner Mitiku Kassa said that the main cause of international aid agencies to deny assisting the needy is westerners’ unwarranted pressure on Ethiopia.
He further said that instead of discharging humanitarian responsibilities for victims and the IDPs regardless of race, religion, and place of origin, they have been putting assistance restrictions on some groups of citizens in Ethiopia.
Taking this biased approach into account, Ethiopians have to reinvigorate the effort geared towards mobilizing resources so as to soothe citizens’ sufferings, he added.
NDRMC has also been working on solving the aforesaid problems in coordination with Afar State Risk Prevention and Food Security as well as the World Food Program (WFP.)
Citizens that are sheltered in various areas said that although the international aid agencies are well familiar with the high level of vandalism committed by TPLF leftovers, there is no adequate humanitarian assistance provided to the IDPs.
One of the displaced women who is living in the Ebaywider shelter of Dargiena locality of Afar State said, “When the war broke out in my area, I took my child and left for another area empty-handed, and so did many of my neighbors.”
Another displaced man on his part said that many people are living in unfavorable conditions in the shelter as they do not have access to food, sanitation, and medication. Besides, four women gave birth in unfavorable conditions. “As far as humanitarian assistance is concerned, only 20 percent of the displaced people are addressed,” he added.
Afar State Chefira’s Command Post Coordinator, Abdu MussaHussen on his part said that the state has been providing humanitarian assistance to the displaced people as much as possible. He called on the international community to provide displaced citizens with the necessary support.
Likewise, many people are also displaced from the north and south Wolo of Amhara State and temporarily sheltered at Debre Berhan town, the North Shewa zone of the state, and they pleaded with the government and other organizations to stretch helping hands. There are about 1,600 displaced citizens temporarily sheltered in Debre Berhan high school and served by the local community, administrator, and local volunteers.