Around 22 million Ethiopians will be left in need of humanitarian aid in 2022 due to the continued armed conflict, drought, flooding, disease outbreaks and locust infestation, Al-Arabiya said, while citing a United Nations report.
“Humanitarian needs remain high in several parts of Ethiopia with at least 20 million people requiring some form of humanitarian assistance until the end of the year,” the report says, adding the number of people depending on emergency food assistance is increasing in the conflict-stricken regions of Tigray, Afar and Amhara.
“Also, urgent action is needed to reverse deepening drought impacts in southern and eastern Ethiopia. The continuous drought-like condition in the south of Oromia and Somali regions is of particular concern,” said the report.
The report was issued by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Last week, Nada Al-Nashif, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the UN is still receiving credible reports about human rights violations by all sides of the conflict in Ethiopia, which has lasted for over a year.
All parties are accused of committing severe human rights violations due to the crisis in the country, Nashif added.
The East African country will need aid worth about $1.4 billion, of which $892 million must still be raised, said the report.
Ethiopian officials confirmed drought in several areas across the country and said they are distributing food aid to some affected parts. But aid groups state their activities are still restricted in many parts of the embattled Tigray region as government forces have blocked deliveries of aid to the region.
Ethiopia has been involved in a deadly conflict with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front forces from the northern Tigray region since November 2020. The conflict is estimated to have taken the lives of tens of thousands of people and displaced millions of others. The Ethiopian government has declared a state of emergency as rebels came closer to the capital, forcing numerous countries to urge their communities to leave Ethiopia immediately.