Ethiopia attacks kill civilians as health system nears collapse, WHO chief says

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Attacks in northern Ethiopia that reportedly killed children, including a newborn, are pushing the region’s fragile health system closer to collapse, the World Health Organization’s chief said Monday.

Renewed fighting has effectively shattered a November 2022 peace agreement between the federal government and rebel forces in the Tigray region, stoking fears of a wider conflict.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a statement posted on X, said children were among those reportedly killed at the Jaari 2 displacement camp in Amhara. In Rama, in neighboring Tigray, several people were reportedly killed while trying to get food.

Tedros gave no casualty totals or dates for either attack and did not identify the perpetrators. He referred more broadly to drone attacks and civilian casualties becoming frequent across Ethiopia.

No government response or public statement addressing the reported attacks was immediately available.

Hospitals in the north lack health workers, medicines and equipment, while ambulance services are severely limited and insecurity is obstructing medical deliveries, Tedros said. WHO and other United Nations agencies were working to deliver additional supplies.

“Civilians must be protected. Health workers and humanitarian supplies must be allowed to reach those in need,” he said.

Tedros, an ethnic Tigrayan, served as Ethiopia’s foreign minister and health minister when the Tigray People’s Liberation Front dominated the country’s ruling coalition.

His criticism has drawn accusations of political bias from Ethiopian authorities. In January 2022, the government accused him of using his office to advance political interests . Tedros acknowledged his ties to the region but said he was speaking without bias.

The government also faces armed opposition in the regions of Amhara and Oromia. Fano, a loose network of ethnic Amhara militias, has battled federal forces in Amhara since 2023.

In separate attacks in Oromia, Ethiopia’s Orthodox Church said at least 60 Orthodox Christians were killed . U.S. Ambassador Ervin J. Massinga on Saturday condemned reported targeted killings in the region’s Arsi zone and called for an investigation.

“Such horrific attacks against any group must stop,” he said in a statement posted by the U.S. Embassy on social media.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, meanwhile, said on social media that government leaders were undergoing military training at Hurso in the east of the country. He said the training strengthened discipline, leadership and readiness.

Photos posted on social media showed Abiy with participants in khaki outfits. Other images showed group exercises and pushups.

The Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, a coalition of seven opposition groups, said in a video statement that it had approved plans to strengthen cooperation among its members, coordinate domestic and diaspora campaigns, and expand diplomatic engagement.

It accused the ruling Prosperity Party of fueling conflict, displacement and poverty, and called for an inclusive political transition.

The alliance formed in September with the stated aim of removing Abiy’s government. Its seven members are the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, the Amhara Fano National Movement, the Oromo Liberation Army, the Ogaden National Liberation Front, the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front, the Benishangul Peoples’ Liberation Movement and the Gumuz Peoples’ Democratic Movement.

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Amir Aman Kiyaro contributed to this report from Hamburg, Germany.