SW News: The Catholic Church has been at the forefront in voicing concern over the humanitarian catastrophe that has affected Tigray, which is the epicenter of a civil war in Ethiopia. In response to the Church’s demand for humanitarian assistance, hundreds of trucks laden with essential supplies have reached the conflict zone.

It is the eparchy of Adigrat of the Ethiopian Catholic Church which has been persistently demanding humanitarian assistance amid reports of a blockade. While the federal government led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed blames Tigray separatists for blocking humanitarian aid, the fighters in the region blame the government for the blockade.

CruxNow quoted a priest from the eparchy as saying, “We welcome this movement of aid. Life has been terrible for the people. We also hope this is honest aid. We hope this is not a trick being played on the people of Tigray.”

The need for aid is so immense that it will take a while for the situation to attain normalcy. “I think this is a small drop — only six per cent. Perhaps, we can have 100 aid trucks each day,” said the priest. However, ongoing fighting in certain pockets still hampers the transportation of essential items and food.

According to the United Nations, as many as 319 trucks with supplies reached the province by the middle of this month. Since April 1, as many as 570 trucks have reached the Tigrayan capital of Mekele. As per reports, more than 17,000 tons of food has been supplied by May 16. However, there is still a need for 75,000 tons of foodstuff.

Earlier this month, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told media persons that whatever aid reaches the region is just a small fraction of what is needed. “Essential services, including electricity, communications networks and banking services, remain largely cut off, she said.

It was on November 4, 2020, that Prime Minister Ahmed launched a military campaign against the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front whom he accused of launching a strike on a federal army base in Mekele. The civil war has displaced thousands pushing millions to the brink of starvation. Rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have alleged that ethnic cleansing has taken place in several places in Tigray.

The eparchy of Adigrat is located in the city of its namesake and it belongs to the ecclesiastical province of Addis Ababa. Established by Pope Pius XI in 1937, it is led by Bishop Tesfasellassie Medhin. In November last year, he denounced a “genocidal war” and launched a scathing attack on the joint report of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights with regard to what is taking place in Tigray.