The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
More than 90 % of Tigray’s population in need of emergency food assistance due to the conflict, says UN World Food Programme
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has provided emergency food assistance to over 1 million people since it started its distribution in March in north-western and Southern zones of Tigray region, Ethiopia’s troubled north.
“A total of 5,2 million people, equivalent to 91 % of Tigray’s population, need emergency food assistance due to the conflict”, WFP’s spokesperson Tomson Phiri today told reporters at the United Nations in Geneva. He added that “we are deeply concerned at the number of people we see in need of nutrition support and emergency food assistance”.
Fighting started in November 2020 when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent troops into Tigray to disarm leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the region’s former ruling party in response to TPLF attacks on federal army camps. More than six months later, the armed conflict continues. Aid agencies warn of a potential humanitarian catastrophe.
“Conflict has indeed interrupted or delayed some food distributions”, said WFP’s Tomson Phiri. “WFP is working closely with partners, with local leaders, and communities to improve access and deliver the life-saving food and nutrition support to end growing hunger in Tigray”.
This week, WFP kicked off a second six-week round of emergency food assistance, starting in Korem and Ofla, two of the five new districts in Southern zone recently added to WFP’s operational areas.
“Insecurity is challenging the ability of most emergency responders to reach people who are in need”, Phiri said. “A ceasefire and unimpeded access are vital not only for WFP but also for all its partners in Tigray to reach all areas and all people who are desperately in need of life-saving support”.
Much of Tigray still remains inaccessible to humanitarian workers. According to Tomson Phiri “access especially in rural areas remains the primary challenge. The WFP has delivered 315 emergency nutrition rations to children and women since February in 31 districts. In May, WFP reached almost 100, 000 children and pregnant or nursing women in all zones except for western”.
UNICEF said today that “the magnitude and gravity of child rights violations taking place across Tigray show no sign of abating, nearly seven months since fighting broke out in northern Ethiopia”. According to UNICEF, over 6,000 unaccompanied or separated children have so far been identified and registered for protection and assistance. Women and girls are still being subjected to appalling acts of sexual violence.
With the ongoing insecurity, WFP is seeing rising levels of malnourished women and children. “According to the nutrition cluster, which is a grouping of agencies who are working in nutrition, almost half of the pregnant or nursing mothers in 53 villages were either moderately or acutely malnourished”, Phiri said. “Almost a quarter of all children who were screened were found to be malnourished”.
The WFP has appealed for $203 million to continue to step up its response in Tigray to save lives through to the end of the year.
-ends-
- Exterior wide shot, Palais des Nations flag alley, nations’ flags flying, a sunny day.
- Wide shot, podium with speakers in a near-empty Room XIV in line with COVID-19 distancing measures, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) —Tomson Phiri, spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP): “A total of 5,2 million people, equivalent to 91 % of Tigray’s population, need emergency food assistance due to the conflict”.
- Tomson Phiri reading papers, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) —Tomson Phiri, spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP): “We are deeply concerned at the number of people we see in need of nutrition support and emergency food assistance”.
- Close up, Tomson Phiri speaking
- SOUNDBITE (English) —Tomson Phiri, spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP): “Conflict has indeed interrupted or delayed some food distributions. WFP is working closely with partners, with local leaders, and communities to improve access and deliver the life-saving food and nutrition support to end growing hunger in Tigray”.
- Medium shot, attendees sitting with listening devices in Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) —Tomson Phiri, spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP): “Insecurity is challenging the ability of most emergency responders to reach people who are in need. A ceasefire and unimpeded access are vital not only for WFP but also for all its partners in Tigray to reach all areas and all people who are desperately in need of life-saving support”.
- Close up, Tomson Phiri speaking.
- SOUNDBITE (English) —Tomson Phiri, spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP): “Access especially in rural areas remains the primary challenge. The WFP has delivered 315 emergency nutrition rations to children and women since February in 31 districts. In May, WFP reached almost 100, 000 children and pregnant or nursing women in all zones except for western”.
- Medium wide shot, TV broadcasting in foreground and podium to rear, Room XIV, Palais des Nations
- SOUNDBITE (English) —Tomson Phiri, spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP): “According to the nutrition cluster, which is a grouping of agencies who are working in nutrition, almost half of the pregnant or nursing mothers in 53 villages were either moderately or acutely malnourished. Almost a quarter of all children who were screened were found to be malnourished”.
- Medium shot, Tomson Phiri reading papers, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- Medium shot, journalist in Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- Medium shot, spokespersons in Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
In Sudan’s El Obeid, women risk drone attacks by day and rape by night to access water
As war intensifies in the city of El Obeid in North Kordofan state, filling up a jerrycan of water comes at a high risk for women and girls: by day, drones strike water points and by night, women who venture out to fill a bucket risk rape. UN Women warns of a dual terror that has turned access to water into a deadly gamble.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokesperson Shabia Mantoo made the following remarks on stranded Hormuz seafarers abandoned for months at sea, at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press conference in Geneva, Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Danielle Bell, head of UN Human Rights’ Ukraine team, spoke of the deepening impact of the war on the civilian population.
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan made the following remarks Intensified Israeli attacks in Gaza.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DR Congo: Ebola outbreak continues to expand, WHO sees signs of stabilization
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN health teams and partners are still racing to contain the rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak, despite ongoing insecurity in eastern areas where the virus has taken hold. As of 19 July, the DRC Government has recorded 2,423 confirmed cases, including 967 deaths and 469 patient recoveries.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokeperson Jeremy Laurence appealed for calm in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir amid a wave of unrest ahead of regional elections at the end of the month.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
UN humanitarians working in war-torn Sudan warned on Friday of growing dramatic needs among the more than 100,000 displaced people now sheltering in camps in the city of El Obeid. "We are providing even not the full food ration to the people, but even that reduced food ration is being shared by the recipients with other families, because they know that they don't have any other source of income," said World Food Programme (WFP) Sudan Country Director Abdallah Alwardat.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘This is a fire’: DRC Ebola outbreak is fastest-growing ever, warns WHO
Infections of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reached record highs and a majority of new cases are coming from “unknown chains of transmission”, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
In war-torn Sudan, a deadly new cholera outbreak has already claimed more than 100 lives, heightening serious concerns for vulnerable communities including in besieged El-Obeid, where daily drone attacks reportedly continue to hamper aid access.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
Ceasefire reduces violence in South Lebanon, but challenges remain as communities face devastation.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Ebola continues to spread in DRC, death toll passes 500 – WHO
The outbreak of the deadly Bundibugyo species of Ebola in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is expanding, while the push to accelerate testing and identify effective treatment options continues, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
2
1
2
Statements , Conferences , Edited News | ITU , ODET , PGA , UN , UNESCO
UN chief António Guterres appealed on Monday for far-reaching, worldwide controls on Artificial Intelligence, as increasingly powerful AI chips that are designed for civilian use shift to the battlefield, where “killer robots” are already the norm.