Efforts to deliver vital medical aid into the war-torn Ethiopian region of Tigray remain limited, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says.
This is despite a humanitarian truce agreed between the government and rebel forces last week.
The ICRC has been allowed to airlift medical supplies into Tigray since January this year – after months of restriction – but it says none of its aid trucks have moved to the region as road continue to have “security and access issues”.
Thirty-eight flights carrying desperately required medical supplies have arrived in Tigray over the last three months.
But with the scope of need in the region, what’s delivered is “a drop in the ocean,” the organisation’s spokesperson in Ethiopia, Fatima Sator, says.
The shortage of supplies had forced doctors in Tigray to reuse gloves and medical equipment, Ms Sator told the BBC.
Relief agencies have long accused the government of implementing a de-facto blockade, something Addis Ababa denies.
When a truce was announced last week, there were hopes that it could immediately lead to an increased access to Tigray where millions need aid.
But the government and Tigrayan forces continue to trade accusations as little has changed in the movement of aid on road.
The Red Cross says allowing trucks to enter the region will boost the organisation’s capacity significantly.
BBC
