Ethiopian Crisis: UN agencies deliver lifeline food assistance to 25,000 Eritrean refugees in Tigray region
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) – Eritrean refugees in two camps in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia received a month’s worth of food supplies through a joint delivery by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and Ethiopia’s Agency for Refugees and Returnees Affairs (ARRA) on 15 December, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, announced on Monday.
It said in a statement that in coordination with Federal authorities, a convoy of 18 trucks delivered 248 metric tons of corn soya blend, grains, pulses and vegetable oil to local humanitarian partners for distribution to 13,022 Eritrean refugees in Mai Ayni camp.
Similarly, 239 metric tons of food were delivered to Adi Harush refugee camp to support 12,169 refugees there. WFP, UNHCR, and ARRA provided monitoring support during both distributions.
“I am pleased we were able to replenish food supplies for refugees who last received two months’ worth of food in mid-October,” said Steven Were Omamo, WFP Representative and Country Director in Ethiopia. “Refugees in these camps depend on WFP food assistance for survival and maintaining a consistent supply is a lifeline.”
The statement said shortly after food reached the camps, distribution began organized by ARRA, with support from WFP and UNHCR. It was completed on the 23 December 2020.
“Families, women, men, children – even newborns, have been cut off from supplies and essential services for many weeks, so this distribution was urgently needed,” said Ann Encontre, UNHCR’s Representative in Ethiopia.
“Thanks to the smooth partnership with ARRA and WFP we were able to provide this aid. We now need to ensure that the same can be done for the remaining camps as well as re-establish critical protection services and ensure basic needs like shelter, access to medical care and schools as quickly as possible. Every day, every hour counts.”
“I am confident that UNHCR will be able to resume its full mandate in the camps very soon,” she added.
The Ethiopian military launched an offensive against the Tigray regional administration on 4 November after forces under the command of the Tigray administration launched an offensive against Ethiopian National Defence Force (NDF).
-0- PANA MA 28Dec2020
