UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is gravely concerned about renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia and calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, said his spokesman
UNITED NATIONS — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is gravely concerned about renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia and calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, said his spokesman.
"The secretary-general is gravely concerned by the renewed fighting in the Tigray, Afar and Amhara regions of Ethiopia. He calls on all parties to cease hostilities immediately and urges the signatories to return to dialogue under the framework of the Pretoria Agreement," Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, said in a statement.
Guterres warns of the risks of escalation that further undermine regional stability, reports Xinhua news agency.
"The secretary-general reminds all states in the region of their obligation under the United Nations Charter to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, and of the principle of non-interference in internal affairs," said the statement.
Guterres calls on all states with influence on the parties to use it to support de-escalation and refrain from any action that could fuel the conflict. He stands ready to offer his good offices, the statement said.
Meanwhile, UN humanitarians on Friday said that the first convoy of aid trucks and humanitarian personnel has reached Ethiopia's Tigray region since the latest outbreak of hostilities.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said a convoy of four World Food Programme trucks carrying 90 metric tons of supplies to treat acute malnutrition arrived in Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, on Thursday via the Semera-Abala corridor in the neighbouring Afar region.
Food aid distribution in Tigray had resumed earlier in the week, OCHA said.
Humanitarian workers previously stranded in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, and Semera, in the Afar region, have also reached Mekelle, helping sustain life-saving relief operations, the office said.
However, more humanitarian supplies and emergency assistance are urgently needed to meet the growing needs of people affected by fighting that erupted on Aug. 1 in Tigray, near the border with Eritrea, OCHA said.
"Once again, the UN stresses the need to protect civilians and ensure continued access to critical assistance, including functioning health facilities," the office said.