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Addis Ababa – The United States said it would move “relief supplies” from USAID’s warehouse in Dubai to Addis Ababa, “which will be transported further north to help the recently displaced people in Amhara and Afar.
The US also announced that it has “provided more than $ 26 million in additional humanitarian aid to help those affected by the ongoing conflict in northern Ethiopia last year, including more than $ 663 million in humanitarian aid Help since the beginning of the crisis. “
The announcement of the airlift and additional funding came shortly after USAID Administrator Samantha Power and Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman, US Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa, convened an urgent high-level ministerial conference on northern Ethiopia. The high-level ministerial meeting was attended by “G7 countries and other key humanitarian aid donors, including high-level representatives from Canada, Denmark, the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom and the United States. “
During the meeting, the US and its partners discussed, among other things, “the ability to expand road operations – which do not meet urgent humanitarian needs due to government obstruction – by expanding air operations to deliver relief supplies directly to the region. “
The Amhara and Afar airlifts include “3,000 rolls of heavy-duty plastic wrap to meet the needs of 75,000 people for emergency shelters; 26,000 buckets to help people collect and store clean drinking water and reduce the risk of water-borne diseases; enough sanitary foods that will help up to 53,000 people stay healthy and prevent the spread of disease; and more than 10,000 kitchen sets for families to prepare meals and blankets to keep people warm. “
In a statement made after the high-level ministerial meeting, Ambassador Power said donors agree that the lives of innocent Ethiopians depend on the Ethiopian government to immediately restore and restore communications, banking and other vital services within Tigray Transport corridors and air connections to Tiger.
“This also includes letting urgently needed fuel, medicines and medical supplies into the region, all of which have been blocked by the government for the past two months. Without immediate changes in this regard, humanitarian organizations will be forced to scale back or suspend their programs and hospitals and health centers will run out of medical supplies. “
Full explanation
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
[Yesterday], Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman, US special envoy to the Horn of Africa, and I have convened an urgent high-level ministerial conference on northern Ethiopia – where millions of civilians are currently experiencing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. High-level representatives from Canada, Denmark, the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK as well as attended this high-level ministerial conference of the G7 countries and other major donor countries for humanitarian aid the United States. Participants underlined their deep concern about the deteriorating humanitarian conditions on the ground and their commitment to the good of the Ethiopian people.
More than eleven months of fighting have left an estimated six to seven million people with severe food insecurity. More than two million people have fled their homes and up to 900,000 people are facing starvation-like conditions in Tigray, where people go without food for several days and resort to eating leaves. The United States is the largest humanitarian donor in Ethiopia and has provided more than $ 663 million since the crisis began, including more than $ 26 million in additional humanitarian aid announced today. The US has pledged to continue providing humanitarian aid to all Ethiopians affected by this conflict.
Participants agreed that there is an urgent need to find solutions to a complex set of challenges facing humanitarian workers and international donors, and acknowledged that the continuing spread of the conflict is a necessity for the US and our partners stressed the need to consider different approaches to addressing these challenges. Achieving the most pressing goals – lifting restrictions on humanitarian access to civilians in Tigray and negotiating a ceasefire between all parties – will require coordinated action. Donors increased their support for the efforts of the African Union High Representative for the Horn of Africa, Olusegun Obasanjo, who met Foreign Minister Tony Blinken today. Participants also discussed the importance of the upcoming meeting of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council on October 18 to better align EU member states with the actions needed to move the conflicting parties towards a negotiated political settlement.
The United States and our donor partners condemned the dangerous defamation of humanitarian workers and the spread of misinformation about the realities experienced by civilians on the ground, and called for an end to the continued harassment and intimidation of aid workers by various parties to the conflict.
Donors agree that the lives of innocent Ethiopians depend on the Ethiopian government immediately restoring communications, banking and other vital services within Tigray, and fully restoring transportation corridors and air links to Tigray. This also includes letting urgently needed fuel, medicines and medical supplies into the region, all of which have been effectively blocked by the government in the past two months. Without immediate changes in this regard, humanitarian organizations are being forced to reduce or discontinue their programs and hospitals and health centers have run out of medical care. The United States and its partners discussed the possibility of augmenting road operations – which are unable to meet urgent humanitarian needs due to government obstruction – by expanding air operations to deliver relief supplies directly to the region.
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Participants condemned the unprecedented expulsion of UN officials from the country by the Ethiopian government and agreed that the decision should be reversed. This action undermines international efforts to provide humanitarian aid to the millions of people whose lives depend on it. Donors stressed that humanitarian aid should be delivered on a needs-based basis and based on the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence – principles that the United Nations and the broader humanitarian community in Ethiopia must adopt in their attempts to provide life-saving aid to people in urgent need. retain .
Finally, participants discussed the importance of accountability for the victims of the conflict and the potential for the upcoming joint report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Ethiopian Commission on Human Rights, which makes recommendations on ending impunity for those individuals most responsible for Atrocities, including widespread sexual violence and extrajudicial killings.
