UN High Commissioner Visits Displaced in Ethiopia

U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi traveled to Ethiopia’s Tigray region this week to meet with families displaced by conflict.

Since arriving in Ethiopia on February 5, Grandi also has met with the president of Ethiopia and with Eritrean refugees in Alemwach camp in Amhara.

Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia have faced targeted attacks over the past two years of war. In December, the UNHCR collaborated with partners to relocate 7,000 Eritrean refugees from Western Tigray to Alemwach.

Though access for aid to Tigray has improved since a peace deal was signed in November between the federal government and Tigray forces, resources remain limited compared to needs, according to a U.N. report.

Grandi said through a statement made on Twitter that the peace agreement has allowed humanitarian agencies to deliver more aid in areas of Northern Ethiopia impacted by conflict.

Since the deal, the federal government has restored basic services and humanitarian aid to the region. As part of the agreement, Tigrayan fighters have handed over heavy weapons to the federal government, while Amhara special forces have left the Tigray region. On February 3, Prime Minster Abiy Ahmed met with TPLF leaders for the first time to discuss the implementation of the peace deal.

Source: Voice of America