Tigray on brink of famine, warns U.N.
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The reading
The United Nations has warned that people in Ethiopia's Tigray region are on the brink of a famine. Tigray is the northernmost state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob and Kunama peoples. In addition to facing the possibility of starvation, people in Tigray have had to endure the hardships that come with being involved in a military conflict. In November 2020, fighting broke out between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ethiopia's army. The TPLF wants to overthrow Ethiopia's government. Neighbouring Eritrea has waded in on the side of Ethiopia. This has escalated into the Tigray War, causing instability in the region and increasing suffering for the people.
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The U.N. warned that: "Several areas in Tigray are on the brink of famine. The situation will only keep getting worse unless needed funding is increased and humanitarian access is improved." It added: "People need to wake up. There is now the risk of a loss of life running into the hundreds of thousands or worse. Businesses have been destroyed, the economy has been destroyed, crops have been destroyed, and farms have been destroyed." A farmer in Tigray told the BBC: "We are eating small remains of crops that we have managed to hide, but now we don't have anything. Nobody has given us any aid. Almost everyone is on the verge of death....Death is knocking on our door."
Sources:
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-57397901
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tigray-ethiopia-war-un-warns-famine-could-kill-hundreds-of-thousands/
- https://www.africanews.com/2021/05/26/over-1-7-million-people-displaced-due-to-conflict-need-urgent-assistance-in-northern-ethiopia-iom/
