Name: Dire humanitarian situation in Ethiopia's war-hit Tigray reagion | DW News
Uploaded: 2021-01-22T23:20:13.000Z
Duration: 4 min 24 s
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aid agencies are raising concerns about the dire humanitarian situation that has resulted from the conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region.

Their reports that civilians are dying for me.

Lack of health care services While survivors face food on water shortages.

Thousands have died on More than 300,000 people have fled their homes since the war began in November 2020.

Let's talk more about this with Chris Melter, senior external relations officer with the UNHCR in Ethiopia.

Now I understand you just arrived from Tigre.

Um tell us more about the situation on the ground.

Well, it's a dire situation for all the people.

They're not only the refugees, but we have to decide between the northern part of Tigre and the southern part of Tigre and some are part of Tigre.

But at least they were not in the center.

Off the combat in the northern part, we still have no access is so we can't really say we can couldn't see with our own ice what's going on there.

But all the reports were receiving from refugees and from our people.

I mean it, Z, it's a bit disturbing hearing that you do not have access to actually help the people in need.

You know what what agent help do the people need to survive?

Well, the first thing is, of course, food and clean water.

We were able to distribute together with our very important partner, the World Food Program.

Food for the two southern camps is so for some 10 thousands of refugees.

But they're still a least 20,000 refugees in the north.

And they have indeed no food on no access to any help on.

We have even heard that they are eating tree bark out off desperation.

Whoa, I don't even know what what response to give to that.

And when you say you don't have access to actually give support, what then is the government doing?

Why is the government blocking aid first of all?

Well, the government is our partner, and Ethiopia is a sovereign country.

So whatever we're doing here, we need the approval off off the government.

This is how refugee agency is a relief agency.

Three government itself need time to get approval of something, but we hope it's getting better, and at least we have now to off the four camps access.

But of course we want to have access to our refugees because they are really in a dire situation and they need definitely help.

So considering how dire the situation is, how long can this go for for those that are suffering?

Can they go without enough food and enough potable water?

Well, we hope that we can provide for the two Southern camps food in these days, maybe, maybe even today or tomorrow.

Also, since there are no devastations from the from the from the conflict, we also think that the infrastructure is good enough to provide clean water very soon for the two Southern camps.

But again, this we really have to distinguish here with the two southern to northern camps.

So the situation around the city off Sherry, this is very desperate and we just have no idea when we will have access to the refugees when we can finally go 20 seconds.

Are you confident that there's light at the end of the tunnel?

Yes, there is light at the end of the tunnel because it's getting better every day, but it's off course to slow on for the refugees every day, every hour counts.

Chris Melter, senior external relations officer with UNHCR in Ethiopia.