The Ethiopian government has ordered Doctors Without Borders and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) to cease relief operations“the two international charities said on Tuesday.
An NRC spokesman said the group had been ordered to suspend all operations, citing what the Ethiopian government called “public defence.” The NGO said the government also alleged that they had failed to obtain proper documentation for their foreign staff.
Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, said its Dutch section, by far the largest and most active in Ethiopia, had been asked to halt its work for three months in the Tigray, Amhara, Gambella and Somali regions.
An MSF spokeswoman said the group was “urgently seeking clarification from the authorities.”
Even with the humanitarian ceasefire declared by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy AhmedAid workers had complained that access to Tigray was poor due to insecurity and bureaucracy.
UN condemns attacks on workers and delays in aid
Ethiopian government officials have accused aid workers of supporting rebel forces in Tigray and even arming them. Hundreds of thousands of people in the northern region are Facing famineaccording to the UN.
UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths has called the allegations against aid workers “dangerous”.
He addressed the media in the capital, Addis Ababa, at the end of a six-day trip to Ethiopia, his first in this role.
“Widespread accusations against humanitarian workers must stop,” Griffiths said.
Their plane bound for Tigray was held for five hours while authorities searched everyone on board, two humanitarian officials told AFP.
Hundreds of thousands of people are at risk from blockades and bureaucracy that prevent much-needed aid from reaching Tigray. Image: JOBsNews
Tigray in a desperate situation
In November, the Ethiopian government sent troops to crush Tigray’s ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Prime Minister Abiy promised a quick war to restore central government control after TPLF attacks on federal army camps.
However, in late June, pro-TPLF rebels seized the regional capital, Mekele, and the Ethiopian government largely withdrew.
At least a dozen aid workers have been killed in Tigray, including three from MSF in June, prompting the acclaimed NGO to withdraw from parts of the region.
Since the fall of Mekele, only a convoy of 50 trucks has been allowed into Tigray. The UN estimates that at least a convoy of 100 trucks per day is needed to Meeting demand.
The UN reports that fighting in Tigray has pushed 400,000 people to the brink of starvation, including more than 100,000 children who are at risk of life-threatening acute malnutrition within the next year.
ar/nm (AFP, JOBsNews)
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