BY ADDISALEM MULAT
Ethiopia has been on the frontrunner in delivering humanitarian assistances to people affected in Tigray state on the heels of the successful law enforcement operation.
The federal government has been toiling to offer the much needed assistances and to get to the bottom of predicaments hovering around the state, the international media have been bending over backward to pour cold water on the government’s efforts and puzzling the international community with disinformation and cooked up stories.
In a similar manner, apart from making aid agencies and the international community provide fundamental humanitarian assistance utilizing the unconstrained right of entry granted, the federal government has made quite a few ambassadors and diplomats of various nations to pay a visit to Mekelle city. On top of that, the government is trying to reconstruct discredited infrastructures; recommence public service organizations and other things of a similar kind.
As the security situation of the region is moving in the right direction, the federal government of Ethiopia has been providing humanitarian assistance in the length and breadth of the region despite the humanitarian needs remain enormously huge. Beyond all exception, the government of Ethiopia has been covering 70% of the humanitarian assistance making use of its own resources. But the rest is covered by development associates and non-governmental organizations.
Sad as it may sound, international community has not been providing humanitarian assistance in the expected level.
Despite humanitarian agencies have been provided with unfettered access to aid, and the government has been getting the bottom of some problems surfacing in the region, international media have been turning a blind eye and giving the cold shoulder to the existing reality and discrediting the fact.
Responding to G7’s latest concerns, Ethiopian government said that it has continued intensifying its efforts to address the situation in the Tigray region and has made enormous progress since the law enforcement measures have come to a successful conclusion. Although these positive developments have been recognized and are visible for all to see, the statement issued by the G7’s Foreign Ministers on 02/04/2021 has failed to capture some of the important steps taken to ensure that the pressing needs of the region are in the process of being fully addressed in all fronts.
Unfettered access to humanitarian aid, including international media, has now been fully granted and joint investigation on human rights violations by international human rights experts has also been allowed and will commence soon.
Despite these measures, resources that should have been garnered from the international community to meet the humanitarian and development challenges remain far too low. Mobilizing adequate resources, therefore, should be the utmost prior task if the challenges of the region are to be fully and timely addressed.
The Interim Administration in collaboration with the Federal Government has also been working tirelessly to be able to bring the governance structure of the region back to full operation with the system has now put in place to the lowest administrative unit.
It’s been made abundantly clear to the international community that the government of Ethiopia has been trying its level best to reach out to more than 4.2 million people while the supply coming from the international partners is way below one-third of what is needed.
Therefore, whilst the government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia honesty appreciates the concerns being expressed, it has already been too apparent that the supply of food and medicinal aid must be the crux of expressions of concerns
Be that as it may, according to information obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia held talks on April 9, 2021, with Pekka Haavisto, Special Envoy of the European Union, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland.
Discussing the current situation in Tigray, the special envoy appreciated the recently announced agreement between the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and the UN to jointly Investigate alleged human rights violations in the region.
In this regard, Demeke said the government is committed to bringing perpetrators to justice based on the findings of the joint investigation between the two institutions.
On the humanitarian aid efforts in the region, the Deputy Prime Minister said the international community should support the government that still is covering 70 percent of the delivery reaching 4.5 million people so far.
The second round comprehensive assessment in identifying people who need humanitarian assistance in the region is concluded and is already under implementation, he said.
In some pocket areas where security problems exist the government provides humanitarian assistance in cooperation with the Ethiopian Defense Force, he added.
Haavisto, on his part, said during his visit to the region the humanitarian agencies operating there have told him that access to the region has been very much improved. Speaking on the internally displaced people in the region a roadmap has been charted out by the government to be implemented to resettle people before the upcoming rainy season.
Life in the region has returned to normalcy, said the Deputy Prime Minister adding that the government is initiating plans to have a wide-range consultation with elders, the youth, and the community in the region to make the peace process sustainable.
Similarly, according to the website of the Ministry of Information, President Sahlework Zewde held talks with Pekka Haavisto, Special Envoy of the European Union and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland.
The Special Envoy stated that he has come to Ethiopia to hold discussions with various government officials on the status of the humanitarian relief and rebuilding efforts in Tigray as well as the GERD and to visit the region.
President Sahlework highlighted that the Ethiopian government has allowed foreign governments and media to assess the situation in Tigray. She also indicated that the government was providing 70% of the humanitarian aid in Tigray and that that alleged human rights violations are currently under investigation.
It is to be recalled that the Special Envoy visited Ethiopia two months ago. The Special Envoy stated that the situation in Tigray had improved and that he would present his findings to the council of Ministers later this month.
The Ethiopian Herald April 14/2021
