The humanitarian support the United Nations has sought to provide to people suffering in Tigray has previously been prevented from reaching the hardest hit regions. Cooperation by all parties in the conflict, including the Ethiopian government and the Tigray people’s Liberation from is needed for a resumption of the truce that was established in March, which would allow humanitarian work to be carried out safely. Consent from parties is needed for UN and African Union humanitarian workers to access all of Ethiopia, and this access should extend to international journalists. Both the UN and independent media are vital for providing accurate information about the situation in Tigray.

The United Nations Commission of Human Rights experts on Ethiopia has called for adequate resources to be provided to address the effects of the conflict. Though the primary humanitarian issue arise within the Tigray region, other regions of Ethiopia are also struggling with humanitarian issues as well as other East African countries. The drought in East Africa means that countries which currently house refugees from the Tigray war will struggling to feed their own population. The likely farmers will be even more difficult to address this year with food prices across the world still very high. The UN should make the necessary preparations to prevent this developing into an even worse crisis. The Next Century Foundation believes that a long term plan is needed not just for the resolution of the conflict in Tigray, but for addressing food insecurity in the region.