The National Disaster Risk Management Commission of Ethiopia has dismissed reports that 150 people died from hunger in Ethiopia’s Tigray Regional State.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock Thursday during the closed-door UN Security Council meeting said that 150 people died from hunger in Ofla district in Tigray State.
Briefing journalists Friday National Disaster Risk Management Commissioner Mitiku Kassa said that not a single person has died in Tigray regional state due to hunger.
Mitiku blamed those forces who want to undermine the activities of the Ethiopian government to have disseminated such wrong information about humanitarian situation in Tigray region.
The distribution of humanitarian assistance in the region has been successful since the beginning of the humanitarian aid operation in the district in question, as it is not among the areas previously identified as having security concerns, he said.
Recalling that 1.8 million people in the region were receiving assistance through the safety net program prior to the law enforcement operation, Mitiku said the number of people who are in need of aid in Tigray region has increased to over 4 million.
