Washington, 8 June 2022 (TDI): The U.S. government has welcomed the progress that USAID has made in providing regular humanitarian assistance for communities in Ethiopia, in a press release on Tuesday.
Many of the communities are in Ethiopia’s Afar, Amhara, and Tigray regions. Ethiopia has finally been able to receive 1,100 trucks of life-saving food, malnutrition treatment and health supplies, and other crucial relief items from USAID.
The U.S government appreciates the cooperation of the Government of Ethiopia, Afar regional authorities, and the Tigrayan regional authorities in ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid. The U.S. Government has also recognized the efforts of the United Nations Agencies, international organizations, humanitarian organizations across Ethiopia, and other partners.
Moreover, the U.S government has urged the parties to continue working together on the solution to the conflict. The momentum to achieve peace and discussions toward a practical solution should continue.
The Conflict in Ethiopia
There has been a conflict in Ethiopia that has led to the death of millions of people. The conflict between the central government and troops in the country’s northern Tigray region began in early November 2020. The Tigray conflict started after the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won a Nobel Peace Prize for resolving the 20-year border conflict with Eritrea.
In November, President Abiy sent troops to a military base in Tigray. Further, he accused Tigray’s ruling party, the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF), of attacking the base. Afterward, Prime Minister Abiy announced that the Ethiopian central government bombed the base in retaliation.
Following this, there were reports of massacres, and the TPLF was held accountable. Thereafter, Tigray forces fired rockets hitting Amhara and Eritrea, which joined the Ethiopian government.
Since then, communication in the region was abortive. By 23rd November 2020, Ethiopian forces encompassed Tigrayan capital Mekelle. Days later, the government asked civilians to leave and made a direct assault with heavy shelling. After that, there have been many reports of conflict in the region.
