UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo warned on Monday that the conflict in northern Ethiopia puts the future of the country and its people in great uncertainty.
“The year-long conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia has reached catastrophic proportions. “The fighting puts the future of the country and its people, as well as the stability of the wider Horn of Africa region, in great uncertainty,” she told the Security Council.
In recent days, Tigrayan forces have advanced south of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, acting in coordination with the Oromos Liberation Army. The Ethiopian federal government has declared a nationwide state of emergency and declared it is waging “an existential war.” Elsewhere, insecurity in the Oromia region continues to deteriorate, while the situation in parts of the Benishangul-Gumuz region remains tense, she noted.
“There has been a lot of speculation about how this crisis will unfold in the coming weeks. In a country of over 110 million people, over 90 different ethnic groups and 80 languages, no one can predict what the ongoing war and insecurity will bring. But let me be clear: What is certain is that the risk of Ethiopia falling into an expanded civil war is very real. “This would bring a humanitarian catastrophe and would consume the future of such an important country,” DiCarlo warned.
The political consequences of the intensification of violence in the wider region would be great, complicating the many crises surrounding the Horn of Africa, she added.
Today in northern Ethiopia, more than 7 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. Efforts to mobilize aid in Tigray, where more than 5 million people are in need of food and some 400,000 people live in famine-like conditions, continue to be undermined by the inability to move. No aid trucks have reached Mekelle since Oct. 18 amid ongoing airstrikes, she said.
UN airstrikes have remained suspended since airstrikes on October 22 forced a flight back to Addis Ababa. The United Nations has not been able to transfer fuel to Tigray since August. While some emergency supplies have been relocated, it has been four months since the last major shipment of medicines and health supplies to Tigray, she said.
Lack of access means humanitarian organizations have had to reduce essential life-saving activities, including water transportation, food distribution, mobile clinics and support for children and mothers with acute malnutrition, she said.
Defense needs and concerns are also escalating rapidly in the Amhara and Afar regions bordering Tigray, with large numbers of people fleeing their homes as fighting continues to escalate, she said.
“Let us remember that this expanding crisis is taking place in a country that is already facing major humanitarian challenges, including local conflicts, floods, droughts and outbreaks of infectious diseases. While needs are more acute in the north, across Ethiopia as a whole, it is estimated that over 20 million people are in need of some form of humanitarian assistance. “More than 5 million people are internally displaced,” said DiCarlo.
There must be an immediate cessation of hostilities, she said.
This was the call of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Chairman of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority for Development Workneh Gebeyehu Negewo, head of state of Ethiopia’s main neighbor Kenyan and President Keny UN Security Council. , she noted.
They also called for negotiations towards a lasting ceasefire and for creating the conditions for a comprehensive Ethiopian dialogue to resolve the crisis and establish the basis for peace and stability throughout the country, she said.
The recently concluded elections in Ethiopia showed the commitment of the people to the democratic process. At the ceremony to mark his new term last month, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed spoke of his government’s commitment to resolving ongoing challenges and his intention to launch a national dialogue. The urgency for such a comprehensive initiative has never been greater, DiCarlo said.
She pledged the United Nations’ unwavering commitment to helping the people of Ethiopia.
“Ethiopia, a founding member of the United Nations, needs our support. “We call on Ethiopians to unite to build a common and prosperous future before it is too late,” she said.
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