Instability continues in Tigray region

By Nathan Morley

The Ethiopian government has denied blocking humanitarian aid to its northern Tigray region where hundreds of thousands face starvation.

For the long suffering people of Tigray the instability continues with reports of sporadic fighting in several areas.

Earlier this week, the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which had been run out of the district by government forces last year, returned to regional capital Mekelle in triumph.

It marks a dramatic turn in events in Ethiopia and compounds an already shaky humanitarian situation.

The UN estimates 350,000 people in Tigray face famine, whilst the U.S. Agency for International Development says the number is nearer 900,000.

The arrival of the TPLF in Mekelle prompted opposition government affiliated forces to halt a convoy of 34 trucks laden with food aid. Reports suggest they unloaded the food, without having reached the area where it was needed.

Latest reports suggest the WFP has resumed deliveries in Tigray, but are facing logistical and other difficulties.

Just last month the United Nations said thousands of children were at risk of dying from famine in the Tigray region.

UNICEF requires 8.8 million euros to provide ready-to-use therapeutic food to children in the area.