Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 26th August. World food agency on Thursday warned that the theft of half a million tonnes of fuel from the WFP in Tigray region will make it impossible to continue operations that support millions of hungry people.
WFP said that armed men entered the WFP compound in the regional capital, Mekelle and seized 12 tankers filled with fuel, which had been purchased. The supply had arrived a few days earlier, it added
David Beasley, the WFP Executive Director, issued a statement condemned the theft, which occurred as fighting has resumed between Ethiopian forces and separatists after a five-month humanitarian ceasefire.
It will be impossible for the agency to distribute food, fertilizer, medicines and other emergency supplies across Tigray, where an estimated 5.2 million people face severe hunger.
“The loss of this fuel will push communities in Tigray, already struggling with the impacts of the conflict, further towards the brink of starvation,” said Mr. Beasley.
WFP will be prevented from powering generators and vehicles, critical for staff and humanitarian partners supporting vulnerable populations, the agency said.
Mr. Beasley said “We demand the Tigrayan authorities return these fuel stocks to the humanitarian community immediately. As the next harvest is not until October, our deliveries of life-saving food could not be more urgent or critical to the survival of millions.”
He added that WFP are trying to assist those most in need, “but we need fuel, funding, and full movement of supplies across the lines of control to maximize deliveries across Northern Ethiopia.”
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