"Tragedies of historic proportions": U.N. confronts Ethiopia as famine grips Tigray region

United Nations — At a long-stalled U.N. Security Council meeting on Tigray, Ethiopia on Friday, U.N. officials warned of increased starvation and the threat of further violence despite a unilateral cease-fire declared by the government last week. 

"One of the most distressing trends is an alarming rise in food insecurity and hunger due to conflict," the U.N.'s acting humanitarian coordinator Ramesh Rajasingham told diplomats. "More than 400,000 people are estimated to have crossed the threshold into famine and another 1.8 million people are on the brink of famine." Months of fighting left the region devastated and will make it harder to get aid to those in need.