The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has appealed to donors for 20 million Swiss francs to expand its response to the acute humanitarian needs in Ethiopia.

Similarly, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) appealed for 27 million Swiss francs to support the Ethiopian Red Cross Society, the Sudanese Red Crescent Society and the Djibouti Red Crescent Society to address other problems in the region.

Since the violence involving federal and local forces started in Tigray, following the reported takeover of an army base in the Tigrayan capital, Mekelle, many people have been displaced, with almost 60,000 seeking refuge in Sudan.

Refugees and people displaced within the region suffer from a lack of food and essential services, like water and healthcare.

Some health care facilities in Tigray have been abandoned and looted, while others are running short of supplies and are struggling to cope with the growing demand.

More than 56,000 Ethiopian refugees have fled to neighbouring Sudan, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

‘The needs in Tigray are overwhelming. Government responses need to accelerate, and humanitarian organisations urgently need access so people can receive lifesaving assistance before it’s too late’, ICRC’s Regional Director for Africa, Patrick Youssef, said in a statement.

‘Humanitarian access outside major towns remains challenging and there is little visibility on the humanitarian situation in rural areas’.

The  Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS), according to the statement, has been providing humanitarian assistance since the first day of the fighting.

‘The recent developments in Tigray have compounded other existing vulnerabilities in Ethiopia and in neighbouring Sudan and Djibouti’, Regional Director for Africa at IFRC, Mohammed Mukhier, said.

‘Even before the fighting, the region was dealing with acute food insecurity, an invasion of desert locusts, drought and the Covid-19 pandemic’.

The Sudanese Red Crescent is reported to have been distributing food, household items and providing primary health services to refugees and communities hosting them.

The IFRC said it released emergency funds to enable the Sudanese Red Crescent Society to assist 40,000 people.

Source: IFRC

Photo source: IFRC