Ethiopian gov't accuses rebel group of obstructing aid flights
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E-mail Xinhua, June 24, 2022
ADDIS ABABA, June 24 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian government has accused the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) of obstructing humanitarian air transportation into Ethiopia's conflict-affected Tigray region.
The Ethiopian Federal Government Communication Service on Thursday said in a statement the rebel group has blocked aid flights to Mekelle airport in Tigray.
It said the government, in collaboration with the international community, has been facilitating daily air transportation to Tigray for the delivery of pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and nutritional supplements.
According to the Ethiopian government, from June 11 to June 17, the federal government facilitated the transportation of 22,250 metric tons of food items to the Tigray region by 363 trucks.
"But since yesterday, the group has blocked aid flights to Mekelle airport. The group using the people of Tigray as a weapon of propaganda, once again shows its priority is disseminating false information instead of providing aid to the people," the statement said.
The Ethiopian government called on the international community to condemn the recent blockade of flights by the rebel group and to further investigate the reasons behind it.
The Ethiopian parliament designated the TPLF as a terrorist organization in May 2021.
Ethiopia, Africa's second-populous nation, has seen a devastating conflict between forces loyal to the rebel TPLF and the Ethiopian National Defense Force, backed by allied forces since November 2020. The conflict has left millions in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
Humanitarian aid is recently heading to the Tigray region after the Ethiopian government and the rebel forces agreed to a conditional cessation of hostilities and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid into the region.
Last week, Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat welcomed key confidence-building measures toward the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ethiopia.
Mahamat mentioned the lifting of the state of emergency, release of detainees and prisoners of war, setup of the National Dialogue Commission, humanitarian truce and declaration of ceasefire, and the withdrawal of the TPLF from the Afar region as significant confidence-building measures.
The chairperson acknowledged improvements in humanitarian access and support to the affected regions, following the humanitarian truce and ceasefire. Enditem
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