U.N. warns war raging in Ethiopia could kill "hundreds of thousands"

United Nations — Parts of northern Ethiopia's war-torn Tigray region are on "the brink of famine," the head of the United Nations said on Monday. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was the most senior voice in a unified warning cry from a range of U.N. agencies that the grinding conflict remained unchecked, with a devastating impact on civilians.

"The magnitude and gravity of child rights violations taking place across Tigray show no sign of abating, nearly seven months since fighting broke out in northern Ethiopia," said Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of U.N. children's agency UNICEF. She said more than 6,000 unaccompanied or separated children had been identified as needing protection and assistance. Much of the region has remained inaccessible to humanitarian workers, meaning health care, food and other supplies haven't got in since fighting broke out in November 2020 between Ethiopian forces and ethnic Tigrayan separatists in the region.