Ethiopian Asafu Alamaya (L), an 80-year-old blind woman who fled the Tigray conflict, is helped by her daughter at the Um Raquba refugee camp in Sudan’s eastern Gedaref state, on December 12, 2020: the UN expressed frustration at lack of access to Tigray

The United Nations on Monday expressed frustration that talks with the Ethiopian government had not yet brought humanitarian access to the dissident northern region of Tigray.

Fighting broke out in Tigray in early November when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military offensive against the region’s ruling party, and a blackout has ensured that information about the conflict remains scarce.

The UN has finalized agreements with Ethiopian authorities over humanitarian access and assessment missions, but has yet to see concrete progress.

… Abiy has resisted calls for mediation to end the conflict, which has left thousands dead, according to the International Crisis Group think tank, and has driven 50,000 refugees into Sudan.