{"id":13800,"date":"2022-03-30T18:54:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-30T18:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/axumawian.com\/?p=13800"},"modified":"2022-04-01T19:00:30","modified_gmt":"2022-04-01T19:00:30","slug":"who-slams-both-russian-and-ethiopian-forces-for-turning-civilians-into-pawns-of-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/axumawian.com\/?p=13800","title":{"rendered":"WHO Slams Both Russian and Ethiopian Forces for Turning Civilians into \u2018Pawns of War\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Source: Health Policy Watch<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some of his most forceful remarks to date, WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and other senior WHO officials slammed both Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine and Ethiopia\u2019s blockade of Tigray for both withholding vital health and humanitarian aid \u2013 as well as deliberately targeting civilians or putting them in harms way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking from Doha, Tedros called Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine and invasion and slammed its continuing attacks on health facilities, saying, \u201cWe are outraged that attacks on health care are continuing. Since the beginning of the Russian Federation invasion there have been 82 attacks on health care facilities, leading to at least 72 deaths and 43 injuries, including patiens and health workers.  Attacks on health care are a violation of international humanitarian law and must stop immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for Ethiopia\u2019s warn in Tigray, he added that while WHO had welcomed last week\u2019s declaration of a humanitarian truce in Tigray, between Tigrayan rebel forces and the Ethiopan government, \u201ca week has passed and no food has been allowed into Tigray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery hour makes a difference when people are starving to death. No food has reached Tigray since mid-December and almost nothing has been delivered since August. of last year.\u00a0\u201cThe siege of 6 million people in Tigray by Eritrean and Ethiopian forces for more than 500 days is one of the longest in modern history,\u201d Tedros said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WHO Executive Director of Health Emergencies, Dr Mike Ryan<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s so unusual about situations like we see in Ukraine like we see in Tigray, is that this is not is this is not people caught up in the fog of war. It is people being directly targeted, directly used as strategic implements, as chess pieces in horrific murders,\u201d added Dr Mike Ryan, WHO Executive Director of Health Emergencies, Dr .  The world needs to look at why we end up with so many groups of people being used as pawns of war.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ryan added that the situation in Ukraine and Tigray, are both \u201ca world of difference between that and a conflict situation where we struggle to get aid and assistance and because of conflict and all sides are trying to help in a way \u2013 and we struggle just because of conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a very big difference between that situation, and the situation of access is being actively denied for the population \u2013 where actually cutting off of people is part of part of the tactics. It\u2019s part of the military strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tedros also called out the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan for the sudden turnabout last week that led to the banning of girls from secondary school classrooms \u2013 just hours after they had arrived to resume their studies for the first time since the fundamentalist Islamic group seized control of the government last August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWomen and girls are especially at risk from lack of access to health services and\u00a0lack of access to education,\u201d Tedros said. \u201cLast week\u2019s decision by the Taliban leadership to ban girls from school is very troubling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besieged Mariupol remains blocked to WHO relief workers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Ian Clarke, WHO Incident Manager for Ukraine<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In terms of recent relief efforts, WHO\u2019s Incident Manager for Ukraine, Ian Clarke, said that over the past few days WHO had been able to dispatch more than 21 metric tons of medicines and other health supplies to eight locations in disputed parts of Ukraine, adding \u201cWe tried to get into Mariupol.  We have been unsuccessful today, together with our interagency partners, but we have been able to access places like Kherson\u201d. Mariupol has been under a prolonged Russian seige that has also prevented aid groups from bringing in food and medical supplies, while Kherson already fell to Russian control several weeks ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clarke added that a $57 million fund-raising drive to support short-term healthcare needs of Ukranians in the country as well as those who have abroad had nearly reached its goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re now in the process of working with our health partners, both in Ukraine and the hosting countries to come up with a comprehensive strategic response plan that will cover the healthcare needs for Ukrainians regardless of where they are located, both in Ukraine or in hosting countries. And that will provide a longer term outlook,\u201d Clarke said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remains committed to 70% COVID vaccination target \u2013 as virus continues to evolve<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In other remarks, the WHO Director General said that he remains committed to a 70% goal for vaccinating people low- and middle-income countries against COVID-19, despite current trends that reflect a sharp decline in infections and less lethal variants. This, despite an undercurrent of criticism from both countries and some donors that a strategy of vaccinating the most high-risk groups like older people and health care workers might be preferable to such a broad goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven as high income countries roll out fourth doses, one third of the world\u2019s population has yet to receive a single dose, including 83% of the population in Africa,\u201d said Tedros.\u201d\u201dThis is not acceptable to me, and it should not be acceptable to anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If the world\u2019s rich are enjoying the benefits of high #COVID19<\/a> vaccine coverage, why shouldn\u2019t the world\u2019s poor? Are some lives worth more than others? #VaccinEquity<\/a><\/p>— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) March 30, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote>