UN injects $40m into Ethiopian conflict and drought crises

War between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and Tigray leaders has killed thousands and displaced millions

The UN funds will help provide humanitarian assistance and protect civilians in the north as well as support an early response to the drought in the south. WFP via AP

The UN announced on Monday it will provide $40 million in emergency funding for conflict-wracked northern Ethiopia and drought-affected southern areas.

UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths allocated $25m from the Central Emergency Response Fund and the country-based Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund allocated $15m.

The UN said the funds will help scale up emergency operations to provide humanitarian assistance and protect civilians in the north as well as support an early response to the drought in the south.

“Millions of people in northern Ethiopia are living on a knife-edge as the humanitarian crisis is growing deeper and wider,” said Mr Griffiths, who returned last week from Ethiopia.

“Across the country, needs are rising. This injection of cash will help aid organisations meet some of the most vulnerable people’s need for protection and relief.”

Months of political tension in the north between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and the Tigray leaders who once dominated the government exploded into a war in November 2020 that has killed thousands, displaced millions and led to thousands of detentions.

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.

Following some of the fiercest fighting of the conflict, Ethiopian soldiers fled the Tigray capital Mekelle in June.

Tigray forces launched a recent offensive and are approaching the capital Addis Ababa to press Mr Abiy to step aside and lift a deadly months-long blockade which has cut off food, medicine and other aid from the region of about six million people.

The prime minister declared a national state of emergency on November 2 with sweeping detention powers.

In the northern Tigray, Amhara and Afar regions, the UN said the newly announced funds will support relief agencies providing protection and other life-saving assistance to people affected by the conflict.

For the southern Somali and Oromia regions, currently plagued by drought, the UN said additional funding will enable relief agencies to provide drinking water, which will help to prevent waterborne diseases and mitigate the risk of cholera outbreaks, and to assist pastoral communities in preserving their livestock.

The UN said its humanitarian operations throughout the country face a funding gap of $1.3 billion, including $350m for the response in Tigray.