Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has denied claims by the UN that there is hunger in the country’s war-torn Tigray region.
Speaking at a polling station on the day of the country’s general election, Mr. Abiy admitted there was a problem he however stated that the problem was exaggerated and the government could fix it.
The UN believes that the eight-month-old fight has left at least five million people in need of food aid.
More than 350,000 of them are living in famine conditions in Tigray, according to a recent UN-backed estimate.
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‘There is no hunger in Tigray,’ Mr Abiy told reporters after he had voted in the ongoing elections. ‘There is a problem and the government is capable of fixing that.’ he added.
Africa Today News, New York recalls that ;ast week, the UN’s humanitarian chief, Mark Lowcock, told a closed session of the Security Council that there was famine in Tigray.
He also said that starvation was being used as a weapon of war by troops from neighbouring Eritrea who are fighting alongside Ethiopian forces in Tigray. Eritrea has denied the accusation.
Mr Abiy said Ethiopia would not push the Eritreans out but was working with them to ‘finalise… issues peacefully’.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK