The authorities in Ethiopia’s war-scarred Tigray region warned Friday of a looming famine linked to drought and the lingering effects of the devastating two-year war in the north of the country. A file photo showing workers at a water point at an internally displaced person campe near Mekelle Industrial Park in Mekele, the capital of Tigray region, Ethiopia, on June 28, 2021. In a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Getachew likened the situation to the Ethiopian famine in the 1980s which cost the lives of around one million people. The situation on the ground in northern Ethiopia cannot be independently verified as media access to Tigray is restricted by the federal government. USAID and the WFP halted all food aid to Ethiopia in June, alleging a “widespread and coordinated” campaign to divert donated supplies, but deliveries are slowly resuming.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 30, 2023 10:49 UTC