Ethiopia denies it’s trying to ‘suffocate’ Tigray region

Ethiopia denies it’s trying to ‘suffocate’ Tigray region

AgenciesUpdated: Saturday, July 03, 2021, 01:01 AM IST
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Female soldiers of Tigray Defence Force celebrate while sitting on men’s shoulders as people celebrate their return on a street in Mekele, the capital of Tigray region, Ethiopia, on June 29. | —AFP

Nairobi

Ethiopia’s gover­n­ment on Friday rejected ac­cusations it’s trying to “su­ffocate the Tigray peop­le” by denying them urge­n­t­ly nee­ded food and other aid, even though transport and communications links remained severed to the region that faces a famine crisis.

Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen spoke to reporters a day after a bridge that’s crucial for accessing much of the region of 6 million people was destroyed and the UN indicated special forces from the neighbouring Amhara region were to blame. Amhara authorities have occupied western Tigray and forced out hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tigrayans. “The insinuation we are trying to suffocate the Tigrayan people by denying humanitarian access and using hunger as a weapon of war is beyond the pale. There is absolutely no reason for us to do so. These are our people,” he said.

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