The head of the World Health Organization on Monday called for greater protection for civilians caught in conflict in northern Ethiopia after deadly drone strikes over the weekend.
Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on social media that reports of attacks on civilians in Ethiopia’s Amhara and Tigray regions are deeply disturbing. He said children, including a newborn, were among those killed at a displacement camp in Amhara. In a separate strike in the town of Rama in Tigray, several people were killed while trying to get food, according to the United Nations account of his warning.
Fresh fighting between Ethiopian government forces and rebel groups resumed in September in Amhara, Tigray and another region, Afar, nearly four years after a peace deal. Tedros said drone attacks and civilian casualties have become frequent across Ethiopia.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned of the risk of escalation and wider destabilization. Last Friday, he said he was appalled by recent attacks on civilians, including health facilities.
A statement from his spokesperson said Guterres called on the parties to spare civilians and critical infrastructure and to agree without delay to a halt in hostilities as a first step toward ending the conflict. He also renewed an appeal for the parties to take part in good faith in mediation.
Tedros said the violence in northern Ethiopia is pushing an already fragile health system closer to collapse. Hospitals face shortages of health workers, medicines and equipment, he said. Ambulance services are severely limited, and insecurity is blocking delivery of life-saving medical supplies to some areas.
The World Health Organization and partners are working around the clock to deliver more medical supplies to all affected regions, he said. He warned that if fighting continues, more people are likely to lose access to essential care, including emergency services, maternal and child care, and treatment for diseases. Tedros said the most courageous choose peace and that the best medicine is peace.