Saudi Crown Prince, Italian PM Meloni discuss regional security in phone call    Musaned tops 2024 Beneficiary Satisfaction Index among 39 platforms with a rate of 96%    Saudi Arabia launches loan guarantees for SMEs to stimulate investment in environmental projects    Dr. Soliman Fakeeh Hospital, Jeddah is among top three 5-star hospitals in Middle East and North Africa    Antenna: Saudi artist Ahmed Mater opens first solo exhibition in China    79 hospitality facilities in Makkah and Madinah face penalties for closure order violations    S&P upgrades Saudi Arabia's credit rating to A+    Trump orders 'decisive' military action against Houthis in Yemen    US Senate passes Republican spending bill to avert government shutdown    Zelenskyy says territorial control key to peace talks, rejects recognition of occupied regions    Pakistan says train hijacking death toll rises to 30, accuses India and Afghanistan of supporting militants    Al Nassr climbs to third with dominant win over Al Khaleej, Al Qadsiah slips after loss to Damac    CEDA reviews role of reforms in diversification of economy and surge in non-oil revenues    Crown Prince receives Yazeed Al-Rajhi after historic Dakar Rally 2025 victory    Saleh Al-Shehri's late penalty rescues Al Ittihad against Al Riyadh    SR17 million fines slapped on 16 individuals and companies convicted of violating Capital Market Law    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Man lives for 100 days with titanium heart in successful new trial    Argentinian court begins trial of seven healthcare professionals over Maradona's death    Singer Wheesung who wooed Korea with his ballads, found dead at 43    Prince Frederik of Luxembourg dies from rare disease    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



UN working at ‘full speed' to prepare for humanitarian mission to Ethiopia's Tigray
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 05 - 12 - 2020

The UN's humanitarian coordination office, said on Friday that it was doing its utmost to secure aid access to Ethiopia's Tigray region, after a deal was struck to reach displaced civilians, following weeks of fighting between federal and regional forces.
"There are still operational issues of a logistical nature, some of them are of a security nature, that are being worked out, so that we can proceed with the missions", said Jens Laerke, spokesperson, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), adding that "everyone of course (is) working full speed to make that happen."
On Wednesday, the UN announced that an agreement had been reached with the Ethiopian Government to allow "unimpeded, sustained and secure access" for humanitarian supplies to reach those in need across areas now under its control in the northeastern area.
At a scheduled press conference in Geneva, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said that it was "poised" to resume full humanitarian activities in the Tigray region "as soon as the situation allows" following the agreement to restore access.
More than 47,000 Ethiopian refugees have now reached Sudan, UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch told journalists.
More than 1,000 had arrived on Thursday, he said, reporting that more were on the move behind them in search of safety, including "a small number" of Eritrean refugees.
To date, 11,150 refugees have been transferred from Hamdayet and Abderafi border points to Sudan's Um Rakuba camp, some 70 km from the Ethiopian border.
In the town of Shire in Tigray, UNHCR and partners "have already distributed water, high energy biscuits, clothes, mattresses, sleeping mats, and blankets to an estimated 5,000 internally displaced people", Baloch said.
But he added that discussions were still ongoing "with the federal government's refugee agency on logistics arrangements, and the need to assess the security situation before the resumption of humanitarian activities".
Responding to concerns about the impact of the conflict on civilians, World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic, said that the worsening of the COVID-19 pandemic in the region was to be expected, along with "injuries, malnutrition, communicable diseases such as malaria, as well as increased needs for non-communicable diseases drugs".
On behalf of the World Food Programme (WFP), spokesperson Tomson Phiri said the agency welcomed the signing of the agreement to enable access to areas under the Federal Government's control in Tigray and the bordering areas of Amhara and Afar regions.
The agency's priority "is to locate some of the 50,000 Eritrean refugees who before the conflict, received food assistance in four camps in Tigray" he added, although it was possible "that some may have fled by now in search of safety".
WFP will continue to seek ways to "speed up delivery of food supplies to refugee camps in Tigray as well as to reach people in need elsewhere", Phiri insisted, noting that the agency has provided supplementary food assistance to 42,000 people in Tigray.
Overall, some one million people received humanitarian support before the fighting began in early November, according to WFP.
Ahead of assessment missions by the UN and its partners, the UN agency provisionally estimated that up to two million people from Tigray Region would need assistance, it said in a statement.— UN news


Clic here to read the story from its source.