Forces loyal to Tigray's ruling party have been battling Ethiopian soldiers for nearly three weeks. AFP
The UN Security Council will meet on March 4 to discuss the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, diplomats said on March 2.
The meeting, requested by Ireland, will be held behind closed doors at midday and is not guaranteed to lead to the adoption of a joint statement, the diplomats said.
The council’s last meeting on Tigray was held February 2 to call for more humanitarian access. African council members, however, had rejected in advance the idea of a joint text.
Several other council members joined Ireland’s request for a meeting, one diplomat said on condition of anonymity. Estonia, France, Norway, Britain and the US also called on March 2 for an international investigation into reported atrocities committed in Tigray.
Since the launch in early November of an Ethiopian military operation in Tigray, the council has held few meetings on the issue, undermined by divisions between African members – who see it as an internal matter – and Western members, for whom the humanitarian situation and influx of refugees in neighbouring countries require the involvement of the body charged with world peace and security.
An initial closed-door meeting was held on November 24, and a second closed-door session came on December 14 ahead of the February 2 meeting. Neither produced a joint declaration.
The UN announced it had reached several agreements with the Ethiopian authorities guaranteeing in principle full access to the entire country. These agreements have yet to be realised.
On March 2, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said “authorisations for needs assessments missions are still pending with the authorities”.
He said during his daily press briefing: “Hundreds of thousands of people affected [by fighting] have not been reached, particularly in the rural areas of Tigray . . . More than 80 aid workers have received clearances to go to Tigray, but the permits are for short missions.
“Despite the challenges, humanitarians on the ground are working to increase the response, with some progress made, especially on food assistance in the main cities.”
NGOs have called since the start of this year for the council to hold a public session followed by a resolution calling for an end to the obstruction of aid and an immediate investigation into alleged war crimes committed in Ethiopia’s dissident region.
