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A6 WORLD NEWS
Friday 28 January 2022
Report: 5,000-plus deaths under Ethiopia’s Tigray blockade

By CARA ANNA were emerging in Tigray
Associated Press and COVID-19 has begun
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — to spread. HIV patients
Nearly 1,500 people died “are coming all the time
of malnutrition in just part to my office to ask if drugs
of Ethiopia’s blockaded are coming or not. But my
Tigray region over a four- hands are tied,” he said.
month period last year, Earlier this month, the Unit-
including more than 350 ed Nations said Ethiopia’s
young children, a new re- government had released
port by the region’s health over 850,000 measles vac-
bureau says. It cites more cines to Tigray, Ethiopia’s
than 5,000 blockade-relat- government cut off almost
ed deaths in all from hun- all access to food aid,
ger and disease in the larg- medical supplies, cash and
est official death toll yet as- fuel in June last year when
sociated with the country’s the Tigray forces regained
war. control of the region. Since
“Deaths are alarmingly in- then, the United Nations has
creasing,” including from repeatedly warned that
easily preventable diseases less than 15% of the need-
like rabies as medicines run ed supplies have been en-
out or expire, the head of An Ethiopian woman scoops up portions of yellow split peas to be allocated to waiting families tering Tigray under what it
Tigray’s health bureau, Ha- after it was distributed by the Relief Society of Tigray in the town of Agula, in the Tigray region of called a de facto humani-
gos Godefay, told The As- northern Ethiopia, on May 8, 2021. tarian blockade. Ethiopia’s
sociated Press late last year Associated Press government has expressed
as the findings were being concern about aid falling
compiled. “This is one of whelmingly from malnu- The mortality assessment than 2% in Tigray before the into the hands of fighters.
the worst times of my life, I trition, infectious disease covered just roughly 40% war, was now above 7%, he But under a new wave of
can tell you.” and noncommunicable of Tigray, he said, since oc- said. The assessment found pressure this month after Ti-
His report on the findings, diseases as the health bu- cupation of some areas at least 369 children under gray forces retreated back
published Wednesday by reau and partners sought by combatants and the 5 had died of malnutrition, into their region amid a
the independent Ethiopia to gauge the effects on lack of fuel caused by the part of 1,479 people in all. military offensive, Ethiopia’s
Insight, says 5,421 deaths Tigray’s population of its blockade has limited data- The AP last year confirmed foreign ministry in a state-
were confirmed in Tigray health system being largely gathering and aid delivery. the first starvation deaths ment on Sunday said it was
between July and October destroyed by combatants. “Since the magnitude of under the blockade along working with aid partners
in an assessment by his bu- The deaths do not reflect the destruction and health with the government’s ban to facilitate daily cargo
reau and some internation- people killed in combat, crisis in the inaccessible ar- on humanitarian workers flights to Tigray “to transport
al aid groups. It was the first Hagos told the AP on Thurs- eas is undoubtedly high, bringing medicines. even much-needed medicines
such assessment since the day in a call from the Tigray the survey is bound to un- personal ones, into Tigray, and supplies.”The govern-
war between Tigray and capital, Mekele, though derreport the real extent of Hagos told the AP that ment in part has blamed
Ethiopian forces began in the report reflects a small the crisis,” Hagos wrote. without medical supplies issues with aid delivery on
November 2020, he said. percentage of deaths from Severe acute malnutrition or vaccines, easily prevent- insecurity it says is caused
The deaths were over- airstrikes. in children under 5, at less able disease like measles by Tigray forces. q

Thailand deploys more assets as oil slick threatens beaches

By CHALIDA EKVITTHAY- BANGKOK (AP) — An air- oil spills arrived Thursday Island by Friday evening with the C-130 aircraft.
AVECHNUKUL. craft from a company spe- from Malaysia to join an ur- if not cleaned up before Wichanu said the largest
Associated Press cializing in recoveries from gent effort to clean up an then, said Thai navy’s Rear part of the oil slick would be
oil slick before it could hit Adm. Wichanu Thupa-ang. contained by booms within
beaches in eastern Thai- He said the agency’s re- an area marked by buoys
land, officials said. port estimated that the slick and then sucked by skim-
The C-130 joined other covered 11.65 square kilo- mers into holding tanks and
planes, ships and a heli- meters (4.5 square miles). properly disposed of.
copter deployed by the Star Petroleum Refining esti- At the same time, the oil
Thai navy to contain the mated that a total of 20-50 headed toward the beach
damage from the Star Pe- tons of oil had been spilled. would also be contained
troleum Refining Public It said in a statement that and redirected to the open
Company’s oil that leaked the amount of oil in the slick sea, he said.
Tuesday night from a moor- has been reduced to 5.3 Pornsri Sutthanarak, deputy
ing station in the Gulf of tons since dispersant sprays director-general of the Ma-
Thailand. Information from were deployed by aircraft rine and Coastal Resources
Thailand’s Geo-Informat- Wednesday. Some initial Department, said that if
ics and Space Technol- estimates of the amount of the oil reaches the coast,
ogy Development Agency spilled oil were much high- it might affect 59 acres of
suggested that prevailing er. coral and 118 acres of sea-
In this photo released by the Royal Thai Navy, an aerial view
from a navy plane shows cleanup efforts of a large oil spill off winds could blow the oil Star Petroleum said special- grass, causing environmen-
the coast of Rayong, eastern Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. slick to major beaches in ists from the company Oil tal damage that would
Associated Press Rayong province or Samet Spill Response Ltd arrived take time to rehabilitate.q