WHO boss says northern Ethiopia's hospitals are running out of staff and supplies
New attacks on civilians and renewed fighting have strained hospitals that lack staff and medicine, according to a statement from Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
By Marco Kapoor ·
The health system in northern Ethiopia is on the verge of collapse, the World Health Organization chief said on Monday. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued the warning in a post on X, citing reports of attacks that killed children, including a newborn, in the region.
The renewed fighting has effectively shattered a peace agreement signed in November 2022 between the federal government and rebel forces in Tigray. Ghebreyesus stated that drones and civilian casualties are becoming frequent across the country. He noted that several people died in Rama, Tigray, while attempting to secure food, and that children were among those killed in the Jaari 2 displaced persons camp in Amhara. The WHO director did not provide specific casualty figures or dates for the attacks and did not identify the responsible parties.
Ghebreyesus described a crisis in medical capacity, noting that hospitals lack personnel, medicine, and equipment. Ambulance services are severely limited, and insecurity is blocking medical deliveries. The WHO and other United Nations agencies are working to transport additional supplies to the area. In his statement, he urged that civilians be protected and that health workers and humanitarian supplies be allowed to reach those in need.
The WHO director is of Tigrayan ethnicity and served as Ethiopia’s foreign minister and health minister when the Tigray People’s Liberation Front controlled the governing coalition. Ethiopian authorities have accused him of political bias in the past. In January 2022, the government claimed he used his position to advance political interests. Ghebreyesus acknowledged his regional ties but maintained that he spoke without partiality.
The government faces armed opposition in the Amhara and Oromia regions as well. Fano, a loose network of Amhara ethnic militias, has fought federal forces in Amhara since 2023. In separate incidents in Oromia, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church reported that at least 60 Orthodox Christians were killed. U.S. Ambassador Ervin J. Massinga condemned the reported selective killings in the Arsi zone on Saturday and called for an investigation. He stated that horrible attacks against any group must stop.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on social media that government leaders were receiving military training in Hurso, in the eastern part of the country. He claimed the training strengthens discipline, leadership, and readiness. Social media photos showed Ahmed with participants in khaki uniforms performing group exercises. Meanwhile, the Alliance of the Ethiopian People’s Forces for Survival, a coalition of seven opposition groups, announced plans to coordinate campaigns within the country and among the diaspora. The group accused the ruling Prosperity Party of fueling conflict and poverty and demanded an inclusive political transition.
