"More than 400,000 people are estimated to have crossed the threshold into famine and another 1.8 million people are on the brink of famine," he said. "The lives of many of these people (in Tigray) depend on our ability to reach them with food, medicine, nutrition supplies and other humanitarian assistance," he added. Ethiopia has rejected charges that it planned to choke off aid to the region. But in a closed question-and-answer session with diplomats, officials indicated that dialogue with the TPLF leadership remained off the table. But both Demeke and Redwan Hussein, spokesman for a government task force on the Tigray conflict, told diplomats that Addis Ababa was committed to "accountability" for TPLF leaders, the diplomats said.

Source: Dhaka Tribune July 03, 2021 04:52 UTC