UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The first convoy of aid trucks and humanitarian personnel have reached Ethiopia's Tigray region since the latest outbreak of hostilities, UN humanitarians said Friday.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said a convoy of four World Food Programme trucks carrying 90 metric tons of supplies to treat acute malnutrition arrived in Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, on Thursday via the Semera-Abala corridor in the neighboring Afar region.
Food aid distribution in Tigray had resumed earlier in the week, OCHA said.
Humanitarian workers previously stranded in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, and Semera, in the Afar region, have also reached Mekelle, helping sustain life-saving relief operations, the office said.
However, more humanitarian supplies and emergency assistance are urgently needed to meet the growing needs of people affected by fighting that erupted on Aug. 1 in Tigray, near the border with Eritrea, OCHA said.
"Once again, the UN stresses the need to protect civilians and ensure continued access to critical assistance, including functioning health facilities," the office said. ■
