The United States and European Union envoys for the Horn of Africa have urged Ethiopia’s government to resume essential services in Tigray which has been struggling to cope with food shortages and no access to basic utilities since June 2021, when Tigrayan rebels recaptured it from federal forces. “A swift restoration of electricity, telecom, banking, and other basic services in Tigray is essential for the people of Tigray,” Al Jazeera quotes the two envoys as saying in a joint statement. “Equally, unfettered humanitarian access to Tigray and the Afar and Amhara neighboring regions affected by the conflict is imperative, [accompanied] by the lifting of restrictions on cash, fuel and fertilisers”.
