The number of people in need of urgent humanitarian food assistance in northern Ethiopia has risen to an estimated 4.9 million people as a direct result of the ongoing civil war there, said World Food Program (WFP) spokesman Thomson Phiri.
The spokesman added - at a press conference in Vienna today, Friday - that the Amhara region (the front lines of the conflict in Ethiopia) witnessed the largest jump in numbers of starved persons, as 3.7 million people became in dire need of humanitarian assistance.
Phiri pointed out that more than 80% (7.8 million) of the people all over northern Ethiopia those in need of assistance are behind the battle lines.
And he stressed that it is essential that food aid cross the battle lines to reach families in need.
He added that the nutrition situation is deteriorating across northern Ethiopia with screening data from all three regions showing malnutrition rates between 16%-28% for children and that what is most worrying is that up to 50% of pregnant and lactating women examined in Amhara and Tigray found that they suffer from malnutrition.
He explained that the World Food Program (WFP) has so far reached more than 3.2 million people with emergency food and nutrition assistance across northern Ethiopia, including 875,000 vulnerable mothers and children with nutrition-fortified foods in Tigray and Amhara.
The WFP resumed its aid to Tigray on Wednesday as the first humanitarian workers were flown in and out of the area since a security incident on Oct. 22.
Phiri indicated that the international organization needs one million liters of fuel to be able to reach the 7.8 million people who are currently behind the front lines and who are in dire need of food assistance.
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