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As the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region enters its sixth week, there is an increasing risk of a regional security and political crisis, coupled with a large-scale humanitarian emergency, which could affect nearly 2 million people.
InterAction, on behalf of its humanitarian and development non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working to support conflict-affected communities in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, calls on all parties to conflict to allow access safe, free and unrestricted humanitarian aid to Tigray and its surroundings, as well as the comprehensive restoration of telecommunications and electricity services.
In this highly politicized context, all parties to the conflict must view and treat humanitarian response as neutral, independent and impartial to ensure that civilian populations can access the life-saving services to which they are entitled and that humanitarian workers who attend stay safe. InterAction reminds all parties of their obligation to protect the civilian population and civilian objects during and after the conduct of hostilities in accordance with international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law, and to take the utmost care to guarantee that humanitarian workers, facilities and assets are neither targeted nor attacked.
As nearly 50,000 Ethiopian refugees have crossed into eastern Sudan, InterAction calls on all stakeholders to allow the free movement of civilians seeking safe shelter and assistance within the Tigray region or outside affected areas. This includes protecting the right to cross international borders to seek asylum and defend no repression guarantees given to Eritrean refugees in Tigray.
InterAction also calls on donors to provide new and flexible funding, particularly for frontline NGOs, to adequately scale up and sustain the humanitarian response in Tigray, the surrounding area and in refugee-hosting communities, while ensuring that funds are not diverted from existing humanitarian activities. or development programs in Ethiopia.
For more information, contact Morgan Martinez, InterAction Director of Communications.
