Urgent steps needed to alleviate suffering in Ethiopia’s Tigray region: Guterres

k discussions with the Government, where he underlined the that “access is fundamental” for the UN and NGOs to assess the situation and reach people with assistance.

“What I have discussed with all interlocutors … is the importance to have an access management system, a clearance management system, that is fast, that is efficient and as close to the field operations as possible”, he added.

Given the volatile situation, such procedures must be very agile to ensure security of humanitarian workers, Mr. Grandi stressed.

Visit to Eritrean refugee camp

During his mission, Mr. Grandi travelled to southern Tigray and met with refugees at the Mai Aini refugee camp, one of the four camps hosting Eritrean refugees. The people he spoke with reported “very concerning” issues, said Mr. Grandi.

“They reported that they had been cut off, as we know, from support and assistance for several weeks. Some of them told us and told [Ethiopian Minister of Peace] that they had resorted to eating leaves because there was no other food.”

Refugees also reported having been caught up in crossfire, of infiltration of armed actors in the camps, as well as of some forced returns to Eritrea at the hands of Eritrean forces present in the areas. There were also reports that some refugees chose themselves to return to Eritrea given the insecurity prevailing in Tigray, he added.