The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that there is 'nowhere in Earth' where people are more at risk than the isolated region of Tigray in northern Ethiopia and urges people not to forget the humanitarian crisis taking place there.
Being from Tigray himself, WHO Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has experienced the fury of the Ethiopian government in the past. Prime Minister, Abi Ahmed, has been accused of bias and of spreading misinformation by his own governement.
During a press conference that took place in Geneva, Tedros said:
"Yes, I'm from Tigray. And this crisis affects me, my family and my friends very personally. But as the director general of WHO, I have a duty to protect and promote health wherever it's under threat. And there is nowhere on earth where the health of millions of people is more under threat than in Tigray."
Speaking of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he added:
"Just as we continue to call on Russia to make peace in Ukraine, so we continue to call on Ethiopia and Eritrea to end the blockade, the siege, and allow safe access for humanitarian supplies and workers to save lives."
Since mid-December, the UN has been unable to get emergency food supplies into Tigray and while some medical supplies have arrived, WHO says that the amount is nowhere near enough to cover the needs of the population.
[Based on reporting by: The Guardian]
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