The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Ceasefire in Tigray more urgent than ever: UN emergency relief chief
A ceasefire in Tigray on humanitarian grounds is needed now more than ever if a massive aid operation across frontlines is to succeed, the UN’s emergency relief chief said on Friday.
Speaking from UN Geneva, Martin Griffiths highlighted the urgency of the situation for all those affected in the northern Ethiopian region, after eight months of fighting between Government forces and those loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
Earlier this week, the UN official warned that 200,000 people had been displaced by fighting in neighbouring Amhara region, along with more than 50,000 in Afar.
“This war has to stop, this war has to end; we will all of us continue to try to make sure that those 100 trucks a day reach Mekelle, reach the beneficiaries,” Mr. Griffiths insisted. “We will do everything we can to help the people affected in Amhara and Afar, while continuing the work in other parts of Ethiopia.”
Highlighting the logistical challenge of negotiating aid access into Tigray while the violence continues, the UN emergency relief chief said that he had “no reason to doubt” the ceasefire announced by Ethiopian premier Abiy Ahmed, who he met in person in Addis Ababa on a six-day visit, along with other senior government leaders.
“The Prime Minister has issued a unilateral ceasefire, he repeated his commitment to it on the two occasions that we met and I have no reason to doubt that at all. For the Tigrayans who are spreading the war into the south and east, into Afar and Amhara, they need to take into account that without that ceasefire, we will try to get those 100 trucks in, but it’s going to be easier for the Tigrayan people if the war is stopped.”
Since conflict erupted last November, humanitarian needs have grown, amid killings, looting and destruction of health centres and farming infrastructure, including irrigation systems that are vital to successful harvests.
Some 400,000 people face famine in Tigray, UN humanitarians have warned repeatedly, in recent weeks.
“They need food, the harvest which has recently been planted is likely only to produce between a quarter and maximum a half of its likely production. So, the need for food is going to go right through until next year,” said Mr. Griffiths.
“They need re-equipment of primary health centres. We saw hospitals and health centres destroyed, the equipment taken away. There are health workers but not salaries.”
Noting that some 178 aid trucks had reportedly reached Tigray regional capital Mekelle in recent days, with another 40 waiting to arrive, the UN official underscored how difficult it has been to secure regular aid access amid checkpoint delays and detailed searches, which he had experienced at first hand on a UN flight to Mekelle.
“The frustration of agencies – and you know, I’ve just spent two days with them – national NGOs, international NGOs, UN agencies, is that they have access, but haven’t had the supplies needed to exploit the access,” he said. So, hopefully a little bit better today because of those 178 trucks, but a lot – a lot – still to be done.”
Despite the complexity of the situation, Mr. Griffiths maintained that his discussions with the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign minister and the Minister of Peace and others had been “very constructive” during his just-completed visit to Addis Ababa and Tigray. “They of course told me that they were very keen to help on the difficult issue of delivery of assistance and then protection of civilians,” he added, before repeating his condemnation of the “very high degree of rhetoric” which had seen humanitarian officials and aid workers “condemned in public and on social media” for “feeding the Tigrayan machine”.
“I spoke to those leaders that I’ve mentioned that any such criticisms need to stop. First of all, it threatens the lives of people who are there to help, and secondly of course, it has an impact on humanitarian delivery,” he said.
STORY: Tigray Update – UN Emergency Relief Coordinator
TRT: 3’17”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 6 August 2021, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior wide shot, United Nations flag flying, a sunny day.
- Wide shot, press conference venue, UN Geneva.
- SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “This war has to stop, this war has to end; we will all of us continue to try to make sure that those 100 trucks a day reach Mekelle, reach the beneficiaries. We will do everything we can to help the people affected in Amhara and Afar, while continuing the work in other parts of Ethiopia.”
- Medium shot, Martin Griffiths with raised hand at podium.
- SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “The Prime Minister has issued a unilateral ceasefire, he repeated his commitment to it on the two occasions that we met and I have no reason to doubt that at all. For the Tigrayans who are spreading the war into the south and east, into Afar and Amhara, they need to take into account that without that ceasefire, we will try to get those 100 trucks in, but it’s going to be easier for the Tigrayan people if the war is stopped.”
- Medium shot, Martin Griffiths flanked by UN staff (masked) on podium.
- SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “They need food, the harvest which has recently been planted is likely only to produce between a quarter and maximum a half of its likely production. So, the need for food is going to go right through until next year.”
- Wide shot, press conference in progress, photographer crouching, Martin Griffiths talking.
- SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “They need re-equipment of primary health centres. We saw hospitals and health centres destroyed, the equipment taken away. There are health workers but not salaries.”
- Medium shot, TV screen showing broadcast image of Martin Griffiths, who is also in background on podium.
- SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “The frustration of agencies – and you know, I’ve just spent two days with them – national NGOs, international NGOs, UN agencies, is that they have access, but haven’t had the supplies needed to exploit the access. So, hopefully a little bit better today because of those 178 trucks, but a lot – a lot – still to be done.”
- Medium shot, podium shot from side with Martin Griffiths speaking.
- SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “So, we had very constructive meetings, they of course told me that they were very keen to help on the difficult issue of delivery of assistance and then protection of civilians.”
- Close-up, participant, masked and wearing headphones, looking down.
- SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “Ethiopia is going through a very high degree of rhetoric; humanitarian officials and aid workers are being condemned in public and on social media; I think I’ve spoken on the record about this and I spoke to those leaders that I’ve mentioned that any such criticisms need to stop. First of all, it threatens the lives of people who are there to help, and secondly of course, it has an impact on humanitarian delivery.”
- Medium shot, Martin Griffiths and photographer.
- Close-up, photographer’s monitor showing an image of Martin Griffiths.
- Wide shot, press conference proceedings.
- Medium shot, TV camera operator checking equipment.
- Medium shot, participant flanked by microphones.
- Medium shot, participant looking at laptop.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OCHA , WHO
Rolando Gómez of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, attended by spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World Health Organization.
1
1
1
Press Conferences , Statements | UNEP
After 10 days of UN talks on plastic pollution, no consensus was reached; negotiations to continue.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Gaza: Hospitals continue to overflow with people injured while seeking food - WHO
As besieged Palestinian civilians face widespread malnutrition and starvation, hospitals in the Strip are increasingly overwhelmed by the influx of victims of shootings and other injuries at food distribution areas, warns the World Health Organization.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | WHO
Rolando Gómez, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section at the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by representatives from the United Nations Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar and the World Health Organization.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OHCHR
Launch of IIMM’s Annual Report detailing its progress in investigating serious international crimes committed in Myanmar, including advances in identifying perpetrators.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNEP
Press Conference - Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-5.2)
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , WHO , UNMAS
Urgent help is needed to halt a deadly cholera outbreak that is sweeping across Sudan, UN agencies said on Friday, while warning that communities continue to be terrorized by parties to the conflict even as they flee violence.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNHCR , WHO , UNMAS , UN HABITAT
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the representatives and spokespersons of the United Nations Refugee Agency, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Mine Action Service, and UN Habitat.
2
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News , Images | UNEP
Negotiations got under way at UN Geneva on Tuesday to agree on a legally binding treaty to curb plastic pollution, with delegates from nearly 180 countries attending.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UN WOMEN , UNHCR , UNICEF
Alessandra Vellucci of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, attended by spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Children’s Fund, UN Women, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF
Gaza: Hundreds of trucks per day of free aid needed “for months”, in addition to commercial supplies - OCHA
Despite the tactical pauses Israel introduced last week to allow some safe passage for humanitarian convoys, the amount of aid that has entered Gaza remains by far insufficient for the starving population, and UN trucks continue to face impediments on their way to delivering aid.
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
Aid agencies echoed wider warnings of growing signs of widespread starvation in Gaza on Tuesday, as UN-partnered international food security experts released their most dire assessment yet of the situation in the wartorn enclave.