Ethiopia: Aid worker killed in air strike in Tigray region

NAIROBI, Kenya - A few weeks after the United Nations reported an airstrike on a WFP truck in Tigray, the International Rescue Committee [IRC] said on Saturday that one of the workers attached to the group was killed and another one wounded in the region.

According to the global humanitarian aid agency, the victim died from injuries sustained in an attack at Tigray's Shire town, which has been the epicenter of airstrikes mainly waged by the Eritrean troops and those from Ethiopia National Defense Forces [ENDF].

“Our colleague, a member of the health and nutrition team, was wounded whilst delivering life-saving humanitarian aid to women and children,’’ it said in a statement that did not mention who conducted the attack.

According to the organization, which has been assisting victims of war in the Horn of Africa nation, two civilians also died after Friday's attack, and three others were seriously wounded. The attack has been condemned by various stakeholders.

“The IRC is heartbroken over the loss of our colleague and will work to support our staff and their families during this terrible time,’’ it said, adding that aid workers and civilians should never be a target in the conflict.

This comes a few hours after the United States yet again asked the federal government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People's Liberation Front to bury their differences and allow dialogue. The war started in November 2020 in the northern region of Ethiopia.

UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths appealed earlier this month to the Ethiopian government and the rebels to resume negotiations. “Dialogue is the only way to end this deadly conflict,’’ he said.

He also urged the parties to allow the resumption of “rapid and unimpeded” passage of humanitarian supplies to the region. Last week, the two parties were supposed to hold talks in South Africa but the African Union postponed them after it established that TPLF had not been informed on time.

GAROWE ONLINE