File photo shows a girl takes part in the annual "Ashenda" festival in Mekelle town, Tigray, northern Ethiopia, on Aug. 22, 2017. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says it is facing a funding shortfall to meet humanitarian needs in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region.
ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) on Tuesday said it is facing a funding shortfall to meet humanitarian needs in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region.
"Only 56 percent of 1.3 billion U.S. dollars needed to meet humanitarian needs in Tigray regional state have been received," the UNOCHA said in a report.
UNOCHA appealed to humanitarian partners to cover the rest 604 million U.S. dollars needed to comprehensively meet humanitarian needs in Tigray regional state. UNOCHA needs funds to meet the humanitarian needs of more than 2.3 million people.
This number includes 950,000 people in need of food aid before conflict broke out in the Tigray region last November as well as an additional 1.3 million projected to need aid because of the conflict.
UNOCHA also said 53,300 Ethiopian refugees living in Sudan are also included in the latest humanitarian aid appeal. ■
