(United Nations) The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has suspended its food distributions in the town of Kombolcha in northern Ethiopia, due to “massive looting” attributed to the Tigrayan rebels, the door said on Wednesday. – UN speech.
“Massive looting of warehouses in Kombolcha in recent days, apparently by elements of the Tigrayan rebels and members of the local population” were deplored in Kombolcha, a town in Amhara province, Stéphane Dujarric reported during his interview. daily press briefing.
“Large amounts of food, including nutritional products for malnourished children, have been stolen and looted,” he said, stressing that the thefts risked increasing food insecurity in northern Ethiopia. , although the volume of what was stolen was yet to be determined.
These attacks led to the suspension of food distribution in the towns of Dessie and Kombolcha, added Dujarric.
In the provinces of Tigray, Amhara and Afar, it is now a total of “9.4 million people who find themselves in critical situation of food assistance”, he added, noting the substantial increase. of this new estimate.
The UN estimates the number of people in need of emergency food assistance at 5.2 million in Tigray, 534,000 in Afar province and 3.7 million in Amhara province, he said.
“The WFP teams in the field were unable to prevent the looting when they faced strong intimidation and were under threat of weapons,” said the spokesperson, denouncing a “unacceptable” violence against UN employees.
The Ethiopian government recently announced the takeover of Dessie and Kombolcha, strategic crossroads on the road to the capital. The Tigrayan rebels have denied any military advantage, saying the army has only recovered abandoned areas after strategic rebel withdrawals.
The war which has lasted for more than a year in northern Ethiopia erupted in November 2020 after Abiy Ahmed sent the army to the northern region of Tigray to remove local authorities from the Front. Liberation of the People of Tigray (TPLF), who challenged his authority and accused him of attacking military bases.