Addis Ababa August 27/2021 (Walta) – The Office of the Prime Minister announced that about 4.5 million people are affected as a result of the recent attacks by the terrorist TPLF on Amhara and Afar regional states.
Briefing the media, Press Secretary of the Office of Prime Minister, Billene Seyoum, said about 4.5 million people are affected by the incursion of the terrorist group in to adjacent regions.
“The number of displaced people in the two regions has surpassed 500,000. They require urgent humanitarian assistance to the displaced communities,” she said.
She also said that the federal government is closely working with the Afar regional state leadership, elders and the community to facilitate smooth humanitarian assistance.
In addition to the National Emergency Coordination Center, regional emergency coordination centers have been activated in Afar and Amhara regions, the press secretary stated.
The government has distributed 482,000 quintals of food for IDPs in Afar region, and the World Food Program allocated three rounds of food distribution to the displaced in the region.
Similarly, the government and partners have been providing humanitarian support for people displaced in Amhara region due to the attack by the terrorist TPLF.
However, the support for the people in Amhara and Afar regions requires partners to scale up assistance as many lives have been impacted and also need similar attention, Billene stated.
The terrorist group has continued killing civilian communities, looting properties, destroying hospitals and health centers as well as other infrastructure on its destructive path in Amhara and Afar regions, she said.
Speaking on the humanitarian assistance situation Tigray region, the press secretary said 457 humanitarian trucks have been deployed to Tigray as of August 25, 2021 and 418 trucks have already arrived in the regional capital, Mekelle.
Food and non-food items plus agricultural inputs, including fuel, are going to the region through 20 partners that are providing humanitarian assistance.
According to her, over 59 million Birr has been transferred by partners between July 14, 2021 and August, 14, 2021 into the region.
Commenting about grievances that are being raised by international partners when it comes to effective delivery of humanitarian assistance, Billene said that it is important to realize the challenges that have been encountered by the government side.
According to her, the challenges are caused because of access blockage by TPLF. She said that TPLF has continued attacking humanitarian aid access corridors and food. That is apart from aid diversion by the terrorists and failure to follow the already communicated guidelines.
“We have seen over the past few weeks images showing food delivered by international humanitarian aid agency in the hands of the terrorist. That indicate that humanitarian assistance are clearly being taken away from civilians in need, and this is done by the TPLF,” she said.
“Unfortunately, services to Eritrean refugees in Tigray region remain disrupted, putting the lives of tens of thousands of refugees at stake,” Billene addded.