Addis Abeba, January 10, 2022- United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Refugees International yesterday issued statements about the recent deadly airstrike on a camp for people displaced by the conflict in the Tigray region. Both aid agencies condemned the attacks on refugee camps and IDP settlements.
“UNICEF is outraged by the recent airstrikes on camps for internally displaced persons and refugees in Tigray, northern Ethiopia,” the statement read. After mentioning that the January 5 and 7 attacks claimed the lives of civilians, including children, UNICEF noted that failing to respect and protect internally displaced people from attacks may constitute a violation of international humanitarian law.
Refugee International on its part said, “Refugees International is deeply saddened by the loss of life during a recent airstrike on a camp for internally displaced people in Tigray,” adding, “Refugees and internally displaced people should never be targeted during conflict, and at minimum, must be able to seek safety elsewhere.”
The statement added that much of Tigray is forced into famine with a ‘blockade of almost all aid’, including food and medicine, and recalled that as of January 7, 2022, a mere 1,338 of the required 17,600 trucks needed to provide humanitarian supplies have entered Tigray. “Famine deaths are mounting: a minimum of 425 hunger deaths per day, and a “conservative maximum” of 1,201 deaths per day,” Refugees International said.
In its statement, UNICEF condemned the acts of violence committed across northern Ethiopia by all parties to the conflict and reiterated its call for an immediate cessation of hostilities. Refugees International also called on all parties to stop targeting civilians and allow aid to access all parts of Ethiopia, including Tigray, immediately.AS
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