Ethiopia gives the United Nations an open humanitarian corridor in Tigray

Addis Ababa: The Ethiopian government granted the United Nations an “unrestricted” humanitarian corridor in Tigray after a four-week armed conflict and requests for help entering the region, according to a document seen Wednesday by the agency France-Presse.

The document signed by the United Nations and the Ethiopian Minister of Peace stipulates the provision of a “safe, permanent and unrestricted passageway for humanitarian workers to provide services to the most vulnerable populations in the government-run areas of Tigray and the neighboring border regions of Hamra and Afar “.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abyei Ahmed, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, launched a military campaign in Tigray on November 4 with the aim of replacing the local authorities of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front with “legitimate bodies” .

Tensions have escalated between the Ethiopian authorities and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front since Abyei took office as prime minister in 2018, and the party that had dominated the political and security system in the country for thirty years was gradually excluded. power.

The tension culminated with the holding of elections in Tigraya in September, which Addis Ababa deemed “illegal”, and then with the Tigrayan attack on two military bases in the region, which the TPLF denies.

The recent battles resulted in thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of people displaced to Sudan.

For weeks, the United Nations has warned of the dangers of a humanitarian catastrophe in the region.

Before the conflict, 600,000 people, including 96,000 Eritrean refugees living in four camps, were totally dependent on food aid to secure food in Tigray, and another million people benefit from a “food safety net”, according to the Coordination Office. United Nations Humanitarian.

The region’s population suffers from acute shortages of food, fuel and liquidity, according to the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Coordination, and the International Committee of the Red Cross announced that basic medical supplies have been depleted.

A senior official with the international organization, who requested anonymity, told France Press on Wednesday that the agreement allows the United Nations and its humanitarian partners to transfer aid “where people need it.” He added that preliminary estimates of the amount of aid on the ground will begin “as soon as we get the green light from our security teams.”

The Ethiopian government has imposed an almost complete blackout on Tigray since the conflict began. Telephone networks and Internet services were cut off and entry to the region was denied, making independent verification of the information provided by both camps difficult.

On Wednesday, Ethio Telecom, the exclusive provider of telecommunications services in Ethiopia, announced that communications have partially returned in cities such as Humira, Dansha, Mai Kadra and Mai Zepri.

The company announced that its services are fully restored in the city of Alamata, south of Tigray, and that work is underway to reconnect the area to the grid in the near future.

On Saturday, Abyei declared victory and said the military campaign was “complete” after Ethiopian authorities confirmed that government forces had fully controlled Mekele, the capital of the breakaway region and most of the Tigray regions.

But the TPLF leaders vowed to keep fighting and said the fighting was continuing in many places.

On Tuesday, the head of the Tigray Depreciation region, Gebrima Michael, said that fighting continues on at least three axes, two of which are “in the vicinity of Mikkeli”, and the third axis is in the city of Wukro. , 50 km north.

On Wednesday, Abyei discussed with party and civil society representatives preparations for the upcoming general elections, which are expected to take place in mid-2021.

In a statement from the Prime Minister, the meeting addressed “not rushing to elections unless the necessary foundations are laid” and “the need to guarantee the rule of law before maturity.”

Abyei has appointed an interim government in Tigray headed by Mulu Nega, a former official in the Ethiopian Ministry of Higher Education, according to the Ethiopian News Agency.

And on Wednesday, the agency reported that Mulu announced the formation of an administrative body in the town of Sherry, about 250 kilometers northwest of Mikkeli.

But analysts warn that the Molo administration may encounter resistance from the Tigrayans.

Leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front say they have been removed from key positions after Abyei’s rise to power and that many movement officials have been prosecuted, some of whom have been arrested.