UN sends food aid to Ethiopia’s Tigray region as truce declared

By Ahmet Gencturk

ANKARA (AA) – The UN's humanitarian organization on Friday sent trucks carrying 500 tons of food supplies to Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region in the wake of a truce declared by the government.

"Just arrived in Erepti and will soon cross into Tigray, bringing in over 500 metric tons of urgently needed WFP/partner food and nutrition supplies for communities on edge of starvation," the World Food Program (WFP) said on Twitter.

"We expect to be in Mekelle soon. Another convoy with over 1,000 metric tons of food is arriving in Northern Afar this afternoon to deliver to communities in dire need in Dallol, Berhale, (and) Konneba. Great support from Afar regional govt & communities for support to our safe passage," it added.

Mekelle is the capital of the Tigrayan region. Erepti is one of six districts in the neighboring Afar region which is presently under the control of Tigray rebels.

On March 24, Ethiopia declared “an indefinite humanitarian truce effective immediately” in theTigray region, halting its 16-month war with rebel forces there.

Authorities said there is a need to expedite the provision of humanitarian aid to people in need in Tigray, which has a population of 5.5 million people.

Northern Ethiopia has been rocked by an armed conflict since November 2020, with government forces fighting the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in a war that has claimed thousands of lives. The UN has accused both sides of targeting civilians.