NAIROBI, KENYA (AP) – The biggest convoy of aid since Ethiopia’s government declared a unilateral “humanitarian cease fire” in the country’s long-encircled Tigray region two months ago has departed for Tigray, a United Nations (UN) official told the Associated Press (AP), as the conflict gripping Africa’s second most populous nation continued to ease.
A convoy of 215 trucks of food aid left the capital of the neighbouring Afar region on Friday and is due to arrive in the Tigray capital. An AP witness observed many of the trucks lining the road outside Semera on Thursday as they waited for clearance to leave.
But aid workers say much more is needed. The UN World Food Program estimates that 500 trucks a week are required to feed the 5.2 million people in Tigray who need food, medicine and other humanitarian assistance.
