The UN warned on Friday that the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray “is extremely alarming and continues to deteriorate rapidly”.

In its latest report on Tigray, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva said: “Insecurity and bureaucratic obstacles have prevented aid workers from providing life-saving assistance to people affected by the conflict.”

It also reported, citing humanitarian workers on the ground, there is increasing hunger and malnutrition affecting hundreds of thousands of people, adding there is an urgent need for access to water, hygiene, sanitation, health, shelter and protection services in most parts of Tigray.

“Violence against civilians, including killings, abductions, forced returns of refugees and internally-displaced people, and sexual and gender-based violence continue to be reported across Tigray,” it added.

However, the UN office underlined that it was challenging to confirm these reports due to lack of access to some parts of the region.

* Writing by Iclal Turan in Ankara