Addis Ababa, July 29, 2021 (Walta) – The new United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, commenced a six-day mission to Ethiopia today.
He made his first official mission as the UN’s humanitarian chief to Ethiopia citing the increased the humanitarian needs in the country as a result of armed conflicts in Tigray and some other parts of the country.
“These shocks came on top of existing challenges associated with floods, the desert locust infestation, chronic food insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of vulnerable people are now struggling and in need of help.” said the undersecretary.
The Under-Secretary-General plans to meet with Amhara regional authorities in Bahir Dar city and also travel to the Tigray region to assess the conditions of civilians affected by the conflict as well as the challenges humanitarian workers face.
The federal government on its part stated that 536,979 quintals of fertilizer, 400,000 quintals of wheat, 2.5 million liters of edible oil as well as 14 million liters of fuel were in depots in Tigray when Federal Government a unilateral humanitarian ceasefire on June 29, 2021.
Griffiths stated the humanitarian community’s commitment to working with the Government of Ethiopia and expressed optimism about his visit,
“This visit is an opportunity to discuss with the Government of Ethiopia’s officials and partners how the United Nations and its humanitarian partners can best serve the people of Ethiopia. I look forward to constructive discussions on scaling up the humanitarian response across the country,” he said.