UN Food Agency About To Halt Assistance To Northern Ethiopia Due To Heavy Fighting

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th January, 2022) The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday that its nutrition supplies to people in conflict-torn northern Ethiopia will run out next week, as the stocks have not been replenished since mid-December over intense fighting.

"The escalation of conflict across northern Ethiopia means that no WFP convoy has reached Mekelle since mid-December. Stocks of nutritionally fortified food for the treatment of malnourished children and women are now exhausted, and the last of WFP's cereals, pulses and oil will be distributed next week," the agency said in a statement.

WFP's Regional Director for Eastern Africa Michael Dunford urged all parties to the conflict to secure safe humanitarian corridors so that supplies can come at a sufficient pace and scale. Only 20% of those in need received assistance from the WFP during the latest distribution, Dunford added.

The program is on the brink of a humanitarian disaster, the official concluded.

"WFP also warns it will likely run out of food and nutrition supplies for millions of people across all of Ethiopia from next month due to an unprecedented lack of funding," the organization said, adding that $337 million is needed to provide northern Ethiopian with emergency food assistance.

Due to the conflict that broke out over a year ago, 9.4 million people in Ethiopia require nutrition assistance, which is now at its lowest level due to attacks, WFP stressed.

Earlier this week, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, an ethnic Tigrayan, called the situation in the Tigray region "hell", and criticized the country's authorities for blocking access for WHO humanitarian aid.