The United Nations has announced $ 40 million in humanitarian assistance to areas affected by the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia.
UN relief chief Martin Griffiths said the funding was intended to respond to the war-torn northern part of Ethiopia and the drought-stricken southern part of the country.
However, there is a gap of $ 1.3 billion in humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia, including the $ 350 million needed to support the crisis in the state, he said.
“The humanitarian crisis in northern Ethiopia is worsening and millions of people are at risk,” Griffiths said. He said basic needs are increasing across the country.
He said $ 25 million in emergency funding had come from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund, while the remaining $ 15 million had come from a local humanitarian fund.
The money will be used to protect and rescue victims of the conflict in the Tigray, Amhara, and Afar regions.
The funding will also be used to prevent and control water-borne diseases such as cholera in the drought-stricken southern Somali and Oromia regions, as well as to provide fodder and care for livestock.
