UAE sends 34 tonnes of food and medical supplies to Ethiopia

Two planes have carried the humanitarian aid to those most in need

Two planes loaded with aid have been sent by the UAE to Ethiopia. Wam

The UAE has sent two planes loaded with vital humanitarian aid to Ethiopia over the past two days, state news agency Wam reported on Saturday.

At least 34 tonnes of food and medical supplies were sent for people in need, including in the capital Addis Ababa and the war-torn Tigray region.

Hundreds of thousands are facing starvation in Tigray, where Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front have been at war for 17 months.

The UAE has established a humanitarian air bridge to help people in Ethiopia, especially vulnerable groups such as women and children.

As part of the air bridge, 18 planes carrying humanitarian aid have landed in Addis Ababa and the Tigray region. The supplies reached about 1.2 million people, including 960,000 women and children.

The UAE has provided $85 million to support relief operations in Ethiopia to date, in co-operation with international organisations.

Tigray war over the past year – in pictures

Captive Ethiopian soldiers arrive at the Mekele Rehabilitation Centre in Tigray, Ethiopia, after a four-day journey from Abdi Eshir. All photos: AFP

Women welcome Tigray People's Liberation Front fighters as they return to Mekele after seizing control of the city in June 2021.

Ethiopians who fled the Tigray conflict wait to charge their phones at Um Raquba refugee camp in Gedaref, Sudan.

A member of the Afar Special Forces stands in front of the debris of a house on the outskirts of the village of Bisober in Tigray.

People hold candles and Ethiopian flags at a memorial service for the victims of the Tigray conflict in Addis Ababa.

An Ethiopian refugee who fled fighting in Tigray waits behind a fence in a camp in Sudan.

Refugees living in a camp in Sudan after fleeing violence in Tigray.

A woman walks among the remains of a destroyed factory in Ataye, Ethiopia, where more than 100 civilians died in a recent flare-up of violence.

Two members of the Amhara militia ride in the back of a pick-up truck. Amharas and Tigrayans were uneasy neighbours before the current fighting, with tension over land sparking violent clashes.

Militias from the Amhara region have been involved in the fighting in Tigray.

Tens of thousands of Ethiopians gather at a rally organised by the mayor of Addis Ababa to show support for the military's efforts in Tigray.

Zeleke Alabachew, farmer and militia fighter, tends to his land near the village of Tekeldengy, Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation.

People celebrate the liberation of opposition leaders in the city of Alamata, Ethiopia.

A family fleeing violence sit in a former classroom at May Weyni secondary school, now hosting 10,500 displaced people, in Mekele, capital of Tigray.

Ethiopian refugees travel to Sudan to escape violence in Tigray.

Ethiopian refugees gather to celebrate the 46th anniversary of the Tigray People's Liberation Front at Um Raquba refugee camp in Gedaref, Sudan. The TPLF dominated Ethiopian politics before being ousted from their regional stronghold last year.

An Ethiopian refugee sets up a tent in a camp in the town of Gedaref, Sudan, after being transported from the border reception centre.

Pro-Tigrayan demonstrators display placards during a protest in front of the chancellery in Berlin.

The aftermath of heavy shelling in Wukro, a city north of Mekele, in Ethiopia.