The Ethiopian government on Saturday dismissed warnings by the Tigray authorities that the war-ravaged region was on the brink of famine. He likened the situation to the devastating famine in northern Ethiopia in the 1980s that cost the lives of around one million people. But federal government spokesman Legesse Tulu on Saturday denied the claims, while acknowledging that several million people in northern Ethiopia have been affected by drought as well as flooding. “Recently, a statement that in the Tigray region the crisis is transitioning to a famine and drought that rivals the 1984-85 famine and drought is completely wrong,” Legesse said at a televised press briefing in Addis Ababa. The situation on the ground in northern Ethiopia cannot be independently verified as media access is restricted by the federal government.

Source: Ethiopian News December 31, 2023 17:57 UTC