MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2021) The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has resumed its operation to provide food assistance to an estimated 2 million people in the northern Tigray region of Ethiopia,
The WFP emergency response was halted last week due to an armed confrontation between the Ethiopian government forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).
"WFP is responsible for providing emergency food assistance across the Northwestern and Southern zones of Tigray and must respond to growing needs in the region. WFP aims to reach 2.1 million people and has so far reached 1.2 million with emergency food assistance in round one and a further 500,000 in round two so far," the statement read.
According to the UN agency, since the resumption of its operation on Thursday, 10,000 displaced persons were provided with emergency food assistance in the Adi Nebried area of the region, and 3,000 women and children were provided with nutritionally fortified food Endabaguna. The goal is to reach 30,000 people in Northwest Tigray by the weekend.
The WFP expressed concern that "families are receiving some of the last of WFP's food stocks," warning that "lives will be lost if supply routes into Tigray do not fully open, and parties to the conflict continue to disrupt or endanger free movement of cargo for WFP and other emergency responders."�
"We have the teams on ground, trucks loaded and ready to go to meet the catastrophic food needs in the region. What we need now is free, unfettered access and secure passage guaranteed by all parties to the conflict so we can deliver food safely,"�WFP Emergency Coordinator in Mekelle, Tommy Thompson
The WFP noted that the planting season missed by Tigray's farmers due to a lack of seeds and fertilizers will likely extend the need for emergency food assistance and nutrition support into 2022.
The agency appealed for $176 million to continue scaling up its response in Tigray until the end of this year.�
