17/05/2021 (Agence Europe) – With the UN confirming that military forces are impeding humanitarian access to parts of Tigray in Ethiopia, the EU spoke out more strongly on Friday 14 May. “The use of humanitarian aid as a weapon of war is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and is putting at risk the lives of millions of people”, said EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell and Commissioner Janez Lenarčič. Their joint statement points out that despite the government’s commitments to full humanitarian access and the withdrawal of Eritrean troops, “blockades by military forces are severely impeding the ability for assistance to reach rural areas, where the humanitarian crisis is at the worst level. At least 5.2 million people out of 5.7 million in Tigray are in need of emergency food assistance” to avoid “starvation”. (AN)