USAID Director Samantha Power, UN Humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken are pressing Ethiopia on the issue of humanitarian aid access into the Tigray conflict zone. They are also pressing for a ceasefire and negotiations.
Power issued a statement on Aug. 4 saying that only 10% of the aid required by Ethiopia’s Tigray is reaching the region, because of the security situation blocking aid convoys. “Between mid-July and Aug. 2, according to the UN, what were needed was 1,500 trucks,” Power told reporters during a visit to Ethiopia, “and the number of trucks that rolled in and were able to pass is 153. That’s 10% of needs.”
Meanwhile, Blinken held talks with Sudan Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok on the situation in Ethiopia. They two apparently agreed to push for negotiations between Ethiopia and Tigray Defense Forces and warned against Eritrean troops re-entering Tigray. “We agreed to work together – and with our international partners – to facilitate steps toward a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ethiopia, as well as full humanitarian access to those in need,” Blinken said.
