(Ecofin Agency) - The United Nations accuses the Eritrean forces involved in the Tigray conflict of preventing people in the region from accessing humanitarian aid. Sir Mark Andrew Lowcock, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said Asmara is using food "as a weapon of war” against Tigray. He said Eritrean soldiers block convoys carrying food destined for areas outside Addis Ababa.

Although the international community has been trying for several months to bring humanitarian aid to the region, the aid only goes to the territories controlled by the central Ethiopian government. As a result, more than 350,000 people are living in famine conditions, out of the 6 million people in Tigray, according to the UN.

According to UNICEF spokesman James Elder, without immediate assistance, Tigray will face a crisis not seen in a decade. It is estimated that about 33,000 children suffer from severe malnutrition in inaccessible areas and are at high risk of death.

The United States and the European Union are also concerned about the risk of famine in the region and, on the sidelines of the G7 meeting, have called for action to prevent the humanitarian crisis from worsening.

The accusations by Mark Andrew have not yet been commented on by Eritrea, whose government has only recently admitted the presence of its army in the region. Faced with the abuses perpetrated by the various forces involved, the United States last month put in place various sanctions against several senior officials in both countries, as well as the rebels.

As a reminder, the violence between the rebels of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ethiopia, assisted by Eritrea, has been going on since November 2020. The conflict has already forced more than 2 million people to flee their homes and the international community is raising funds to help the affected populations.