Violence in northern Ethiopia pushing health system towards collapse: WHO

What the report says

The World Health Organization says renewed violence in northern Ethiopia is worsening an already fragile health system and putting it at risk of collapse. In a statement reported by Al Jazeera, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said fighting and drone strikes linked to clashes between Tigray rebels and the federal government in Addis Ababa have killed civilians in recent days and disrupted medical services.

Al Jazeera reported that at least 15 people, including several children, died in drone strikes on a displacement camp in Ethiopia’s Amhara region on Friday, according to sources involved in rescue operations. Tedros also said people were killed in Rama, in neighbouring Tigray, while seeking food, though he did not give a total casualty count or identify who carried out the attacks.

The WHO chief warned that hospitals are short of staff, medicines and equipment, while ambulance services remain severely limited. He also said insecurity is blocking the delivery of life-saving supplies to some areas, raising concern that access to emergency care, maternal and child health services, and treatment for disease could worsen further.

The report said the violence has all but unravelled the November 2022 peace agreement between the federal government and northern Tigray forces, adding to fears of a broader conflict and a deepening humanitarian crisis.