Two trucks full of lifesaving medical supplies have arrived in Ethiopia’s war-torn Tigray region today in the first aid delivery since fighting between the warring parties resumed in August and the Pretoria and Nairobi peace agreements were signed in November. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it has suplied medicines to Mekelle on Tuesday, destined for medical facilities.
According to the humanitarian organization, the trucks have delivered forty tons of essential medical items, emergency medicines and surgical equipment to help cover the immediate needs of thousands of people in Ethiopia’s northern region. While some health facilities in Tigray no longer function, those that remain open lack basic medicines, equipment, and other essential supplies. The ICRC hopes to continue these deliveries on a regular basis and significantly scale-up its humanitarian response.
Since the resumption of hostilities in northern Ethiopia in August, humanitarian aid has been largely blocked from reaching the region, while millions of people in Tigray and neighboring regions are in need of emergency relief. Deliveries of humanitarian aid by the main road into Tigray had been suspended for several weeks, and assistance to Amhara and Afar had also been disrupted.
On November 2, the Ethiopian federal government and the Tigray Peoples' Liberation Front (TPLF) announced a ceasefire after ten days of peace talks in Pretoria, mediated by the African Union (AU). The terms of the cease-fire agreement commit the federal government to facilitating unhindered humanitarian access to Tigray. On November 12, military commanders representing Ethiopia’s government and the TPLF signed a deal in Nairobi establishing the modalities for the implementation of the “Permanent Cessation of Hostilities Agreement”.
Founded in 1863, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) operates worldwide, helping people affected by conflict and armed violence and promoting the laws that protect victims of war. The ICRC is an independent humanitarian organization that is based in Geneva, Switzerland. The International Committee of the Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement along with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and 192 National Societies.
Further information
Full text: Ethiopia: Lifesaving medical supplies arrive in Tigray, ICRC press release, published November 15, 2022
https://www.icrc.org/en/document/ethiopia-lifesaving-medical-supplies-arrive-in-tigray
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