NAIROBI (CNS): After the Catholic Church’s persistent call for humanitarian assistance in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, the arrival of hundreds of aid trucks is a sign of hope for millions of people driven to the brink of famine by war, said a Church source.
Since the start of the war in November 2020, the Church in the Eparchy of Adigrat has called for humanitarian access to be allowed amid reports of a blockade.
The Ethiopian government blamed fighters of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front for the aid obstruction, while the fighters said the government was responsible.
“We welcome this movement of aid. Life has been terrible for the people,” said a priest from the region who did wish to be named for security reasons. “We also hope this is honest aid. We hope this is not a trick being played on the people of Tigray.”
At the same time, the priest said that the need is so huge that it would take a long time before the situation on the ground normalises.
The rate at which aid is arriving into Tigray, however, remains a small fraction of what is needed. Essential services, including electricity, communications networks and banking services, remain largely cut of
“I think this is a small drop—only six per cent. Perhaps, we can have 100 aid trucks each day,” said the priest, while warning that the ongoing tensions and clashes in some areas continue to cause further suffering for the people.
The Ethiopian Bishops’ Conference said in March that it had started delivering humanitarian aid.
The United Nations said 319 trucks entered in mid-May—the largest number in a single week since June 2021. More than 570 trucks with have reached the capital of Tigray, Mekele, since April 1, when the resumption of the humanitarian convoy was announced.
By May 16, more than 17,000 tons of food had reached Tigray, the UN said, and an estimated 75,000 tons were still needed to complete the distribution cycle.
“The rate at which aid is arriving into Tigray, however, remains a small fraction of what is needed. Essential services, including electricity, communications networks and banking services, remain largely cut off,” UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists on May 5.
Recently, some international human rights groups, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, concluded that ethnic cleansing, bordering on crimes against humanity and war crimes, occurred in parts of Tigray.
