OCHA says that while there are improvements in access within Tigray, the last entry point open to Tigray, the road between Afar and Tigray region via Semera city, remains blocked due to security reasons, preventing movement of humanitarian personnel, food stock, fuel and other humanitarian goods from entering the region.
The UN Humanitarian Air Service’s first regular flight is scheduled to begin on 22 July.
Meanwhile, humanitarian stocks are rapidly depleting inside Tigray. As of 19 July, the World Food Programme (WFP) and partners will only have enough food stock to feed about 1.9 million people with common food baskets for one round. Despite challenges, at least 167,000 people were reached with food and nutrition support last week.
Shortages of fuel and cash, as well as a communications blackout, are significantly hindering the resumption and preventing the scale-up of humanitarian response. Non-governmental organizations and UN agencies are running out of cash and are unable to pay staff or suppliers. Unless fuel, cash, supplies and aid workers are able to enter Tigray in the coming days, some humanitarian programmes will not be able to continue.
The UN continues to call for the restoration of electricity, communications, commercial flights and the banking system to prevent a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
