Addis Ababa, 26 August 26, 2022 (Walta) – The United Nation Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator on Ethiopia, Martin Griffiths and the Administrator of United States Agency for International Development, Samantha Power, have condemned the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) theft of World Food Program’s (WFP) fuel on August 24, 2022.
“I was disturbed to learn of the forcible removal of fuel tankers from the warehouse of the World Food Program in Mekelle, in Ethiopia’s Tigray region,” said Martin Griffiths in a statement he issued yesterday.
“These supplies – 12 tankers carrying over 570,000 liters of fuel – were meant to help the UN and its partners bring humanitarian supplies to people who badly need assistance. Without them, people will be left without food, nutrition supplements, medicines and other essential items. At a time when malnutrition and food insecurity are rising, the consequences can be dire,” he added.
Griffiths said that he condemn all diversion of aid assets.
USAID Administrator, Samantha Power, said that she strongly condemns the TPLF’s theft of over 150,000 gallons of fuel for WFP’s work and its harassment of aid workers.
“Impeding efforts to help feed Ethiopian civilians is deeply cruel, and we call on the TPLF to return the fuel and respect humanitarian operations,” she concludes.