The director of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced that "ongoing violence" in Amhara is hindering the delivery of humanitarian assistance to this area in northern Ethiopia, calling for peace to be established in it.

Edited by| Hugh Gey

Africa  section -  CJ journalist

Addis Ababa –August,7,2023

The director of the World Health Organization, who is from Ethiopia, said his organization was "concerned about the ongoing violence".

He pointed out through the platform " X "(formerly Twitter) to the difficulty of delivering humanitarian assistance due to the blocking of roads, stressing that "communications are difficult due to the suspension of the internet".

"We call for the facilitation of the delivery of aid in a permanent form and for the protection of the health system in Amhara, so that WHO and its partners can continue to work there . We especially call for peace".

The clashes between local fighters and the Ethiopian army in Africa's second most populous country come just nine months after the end of a devastating conflict in the neighboring Tigray region that also involved fighters from Amhara.

The government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced on Saturday that it had carried out a campaign of arrests in connection with the"security crisis in the Amhara region", after imposing a state of emergency on Friday.

The fighters of the nationalist militia "amhra Fano" controlled three major cities in the region, according to residents, namely Lalibela, Gondar and Desi, and although no new confrontation was recorded in Lalibela, residents of Gondar and behir Dar, the administrative capital of amhra, reported that they heard gunfire, on Sunday night.

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission reported that civilians were attacked and property was damaged, as well as transport and internet services were suspended in several areas of Amhara, and Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to Dessie, Lalibela and Gondar.

Tension has been growing in the region since last April, when the government announced its intention to dismantle the "special forces", paramilitary units created by several regional states 15 years ago, and the Amhara nationalists protested against this measure, considering that the government wants to weaken the region.

Clashes between the army and the "Fano" fighters have escalated in recent weeks, prompting foreign countries to warn their nationals against traveling to the region.

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