UNHCR Regional Update 38 – Northern Ethiopia Emergency Situation Report (December 2022)

Key Developments

ETHIOPIA

The security situation in Tigray continued to improve throughout the month of December. Road movements from Mekelle to Shire were finally cleared for humanitarian partners in early December, seeing the return of UN Agencies and NGO staff to Shire. The first convoy arrived on 9 December, led by the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator. Between 22 and 24 December, 103 trucks left Mekelle to reach Adwa and Axum. Three UNHCR trucks were part of the convoy carrying 120 metric tons of Core Relief Items (CRIs) to be distributed to 12,000 IDPs and host communities.

A high-level delegation from the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia visited Mekelle on 26 December, the first official visit by the federal authorities since war broke out in November 2020. In Mekelle, the delegation met with the regional president of Tigray, and held discussions on a range of pressing issues related to humanitarian aid, basic services, commerce and the withdrawal of Eritrean and Amhara forces.

A high-level delegation, led by the former President of Nigeria and AU Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa and the former President of Kenya visited Mekelle on 29 December together with a delegation from the Federal Government, led by the Minister of Justice. The objective of the mission was to launch the African Union’s Joint Monitoring, Verification and Compliance Mechanism (JMVC), composed of a 10-member team of monitors and experts from selected African countries, as outlined in the peace agreement.

On the side-lines of the AU meeting in Mekelle, a humanitarian team that included FAO, IOM, OCHA, OHCHR UNDP, UNDSS, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP and WHO and representatives from INGOs and NGOs met with the US Mission to the African Union to discuss security and operational developments in the region. The humanitarian team advocated for commercial supplies (fuel and other essential commodities) to alleviate the burden on humanitarian aid, full reopening of banking services and schools, payment of salaries for government employees, technical cooperation/collaboration between the regional bureaus and their line ministries in Addis Ababa. The team also called for support for the rehabilitation of health facilities and other public infrastructures with multilateral/bilateral and development partners, as week as to promote recovery and solutions for forcibly displaced persons.

Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

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