Ethiopia: “unprecedented” malnutrition affects Tigray, UN says

Published on : 01/10/2021 – 13:44

“Unprecedented” malnutrition is affecting pregnant and breastfeeding women in Ethiopia’s Tigray region after ten months of war, the UN humanitarian agency said Thursday evening, shortly after news of the expulsion of seven. UN officials from Addis Ababa.

In a report published online, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) also describes “alarming” malnutrition among children, as the specter of famine grows.

“Out of more than 15,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women followed over the study period, more than 12,000, or about 79%, were diagnosed with severe malnutrition,” Ocha says.

The level of moderate malnutrition among children under 5 “also exceeds emergency levels set at 15%, reaching around 18%, while the proportion of severely malnourished children reaches 2.4%”, -above the alarm threshold of 2%, underlines the report.

On Thursday, the Ethiopian government announced the expulsion within 72 hours of seven heads of UN agencies accused of “interference” in its internal affairs, including members of Ocha and Unicef.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was “shocked” and diplomats said an emergency UN Security Council meeting would be held behind closed doors at midday Friday.

Tigray has been in the throes of fighting since November, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent the Ethiopian army there to overthrow regional authorities from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which he accuses of orchestrating attacks on federal military camps.

The conflict stalled for several months, before pro-TPLF fighters regained control of the region at the end of June and government troops largely withdrew.

Since then, the fighting has spread to the neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara.

According to the UN, 400,000 people have “crossed the threshold of famine” in Tigray, but very little humanitarian aid is reaching the region.

In his report, Ocha says that during the week ending Tuesday, 79 aid trucks reached Tigray, via Afar. “This brings to 606 the number of trucks that have reached Tigray since July 12, or 11% of the trucks needed,” said the text.

Addis Ababa says fighting by TPLF is preventing aid from arriving, but a US State Department spokesperson recently told AFP that access was “denied by the Ethiopian government,” a situation which is akin to “a seat”.

The UN has been able to operate 17 flights carrying passengers to Mekele, the capital of Tigray, since July. On the other hand, only one flight has been able to be carried out since mid-September as part of an airlift that the European Union wishes to set up.

With AFP