The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | UNHCR
Bi-Weekly Press Briefing: Assistance To Refugees In Northern Ethiopia - UNHCR
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has been able to step up humanitarian assistance to conflict-affected populations in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray, Afar and Amhara regions since the signing of the peace agreement between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) about 6 weeks ago.
Speaking to journalists at a news briefing at the United Nations in Geneva, the UNHCR Representative in Ethiopia, Mamadou Dian Balde, said that “the peace agreement was signed on the 2nd of November. And since then, UNHCR and partners have been able to increase the level of assistance as well as protection and solutions within Tigray, but also in the northern part of Ethiopia, meaning Amhara as well as Afar.”
In the Peace agreement signed by the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) on 2nd November, both parties agreed to a “permanent cessation of hostilities” to end the Tigray war. This agreement was a critical first step towards ending the devastating two-year old conflict in which the lives and livelihoods of so many Ethiopians have been lost.
As of this week, UNHCR has been able to send 61 trucks into Tigray, carrying 2,400 metric tons of much-needed relief including medicine, shelter materials, blankets and household items, and a tanker carrying 20,000 litres of fuel to help us bring aid to those most in need.
“Not only were we able to have 16,000 refugees relocated to Alemwach, but since the signing of the agreement with the Government’s Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS), we've been able to support the relocation of 7,000 of them, so which really help thousands of refugees who have been stranded to really start rebuilding their own lives,” noted the UNHCR representative.
The Refugee Agency has now resumed operations in secondary field locations like in Maichew, Adigrat, and Abi Adi. Throughout the conflict, UNHCR teams were operating in Tigray from Mekelle and Shire to assist the vulnerable populations as conditions for Eritrean refugees in Tigray were dire.
“We were able to provide them with some limited support”, said Mr. Balde. “Whenever we had opportunities for flying in medical supplies, we did it, but there were not enough. They were not commensurate to the needs. And yes, people have suffered, and they have suffered, and they have suffered.”
UNHCR is now also working closely with local authorities in northern Ethiopia to support Ethiopians displaced by the conflict.
“UNHCR in Ethiopia is not only working on refugees, we also work on Ethiopians displaced by the conflict”, noted the UNHCR Representative. “We have been able to support over 2 million internally displaced persons through our protection services, shelter services as well as our housing, land and property and additional services.”
UNHCR has been providing counselling and support to the most vulnerable including separated children and survivors of gender-based violence. Over 50,000 internally displaced have been assisted to return to their homes within Tigray, Afar and Amhara.
-ends-
STORY: Assistance to Refugees in Northern Ethiopia - UNHCR
TRT: 1 min 57s
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 09 December 2022 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Medium shot, UN Geneva flag alley.
- Medium shot, conference room, journalists taking notes, screen in background.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH), UNHCR Representative in Ethiopia, Mamadou Dian Balde: “The peace agreement was signed on the 2nd of November. And since then, UNHCR and partners have been able to increase the level of assistance as well as protection and solutions within Tigray, but also in the northern part of Ethiopia, meaning Amhara as well as Afar.”
- Medium shot, journalists taking notes.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH), UNHCR Representative in Ethiopia, Mamadou Dian Balde: “Not only were we able to have 16,000 refugees relocated to Alemwach, but since the signing of the agreement with the Government’s Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS), we've been able to support the relocation of 7,000 of them, so which really help thousands of refugees who have been stranded to really start rebuilding their own lives.”
- Close-up shot, staff monitoring conference.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH), UNHCR Representative in Ethiopia, Mamadou Dian Balde: “So we were able to provide them with some limited support. Whenever we had opportunities for flying in medical supplies, we did it, but there were not enough. They were not commensurate to the needs. And yes, people have suffered, and they have suffered, and they have suffered.”
- Medium shot, journalists taking notes.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH), UNHCR Representative in Ethiopia, Mamadou Dian Balde: “UNHCR in Ethiopia is not only working on refugees, we also work on Ethiopians displaced by the conflict. We have been able to support over 2 million internally displaced persons through our protection services, shelter services as well as our housing, land and property and additional services.”
- Medium shot, journalists taking notes, podium in the background.
- Medium shot, conference room, journalists taking notes.
- Close-up shot, journalists.
Similar Stories
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘We need all routes to open’: in Gaza WHO calls for ramp-up of medevacs, easier access for essentials
Two weeks since a ceasefire agreement entered into force in Gaza the World Health Organization (WHO) noted progress on the flow of aid while calling for more evacuations of critical patients and eased entry for essential medicines and supplies.
1
12
1
1
Edited News | WMO , UNITED NATIONS
UN chief urges boost to life-saving weather warning systems, stresses role of climate change science
No country is safe from the devastating impacts of extreme weather — and saving lives means making early-warning systems accessible to all, UN chief António Guterres said on Wednesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Gazans’ response to food distributions ‘overwhelming’ as humanitarians scale up under fragile ceasefire
In Gaza, the ceasefire is enabling UN humanitarians to reach more desperate people with life-saving food, but greater access is needed to contain the spread of famine.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP , OCHA
UN urges opening of all Gaza crossings to deliver three-month food supply
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned food aid cannot reach everyone in Gaza unless all border crossings are opened, particularly in the north where famine was declared in August. The agency says it already has enough supplies in place to feed the entire population of the Strip for three months – if full access is granted by Israel.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNDP , UNICEF , OCHA , ICRC
Around $70 billion will be needed to reconstruct Gaza and make it safe after two years of war, UN development experts said on Tuesday, while aid agencies reported that far too little aid continues to reach desperate Palestinians.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
The UN human rights office, OHCHR, on Friday welcomed the Nobel Peace Prize committee’s decision to name Maria Machado as this year’s laureate, in recognition of her work promoting the Venezuelan people’s democratic hopes.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA , UNICEF , WHO
As Gazans jammed the main route leading north on Friday after a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was announced, UN aid teams repeated their call to open all crossings into the devastated enclave to prevent famine spreading.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF , WHO
Two years of Gaza-Israel war bring ‘indescribable’ pain: UN humanitarians
Two years since the Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel, UN humanitarians on Tuesday reiterated calls for the release of all hostages in Gaza, an immediate ceasefire and an aid surge to alleviate Palestinians’ suffering, as talks on a US-driven peace plan continued in Egypt.
1
1
1
Edited News
Syria prison survivor seeks justice for the missing with UN backing.
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday warned that three and a half years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, the war in Ukraine has entered an even more dangerous and deadly stage for Ukrainian civilians, under relentless bombardment of their schools, hospitals, and shelters.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , WHO , ICRC
Quadcopter victims, terror and death: 30 minutes in a Gaza hospital
UN aid teams on Friday highlighted the disturbing situation in Gaza’s makeshift hospitals, where premature babies cry for scant oxygen and medics attempt to save child survivors targeted by airstrikes in their tents and quadcopter victims reportedly shot while fetching bread.
2
1
2
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday delivered his oral update to the UN Human Rights Council’s 60th session on the human rights situation in Haiti.
The High Commissioner welcomed Wednesday’s decision of the UN Security Council to strengthen the Multinational Security Support mission by transitioning to the Gang Suppression Force for Haiti, stating it is a strong signal of international support for the Haitian people.