A child plays in front of a hotel damaged by mortar shelling last month in Humera, in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. On Wednesday, U.N. officials announced they had reached a deal with Ethiopian leaders to allow humanitarian groups access to the disputed region.

Eduardo Soteras/AFP via Getty Images

After weeks of bloody conflict in the northernmost reaches of Ethiopia, international aid groups have obtained access to its war-torn region of Tigray. The United Nations said Wednesday that it has reached a deal with Ethiopia’s government, which opens the door to humanitarian groups seeking to help civilians caught in the internecine fighting.

In a statement emailed to NPR, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs explained that the deal ensures “unimpeded, sustained and secure access for humanitarian personnel and services,” specifically in the areas that the federal government controls in Tigray and its bordering regions.