The Ethiopian Red Cross Society has announced a 213.6 million Birr ($3.9 million) project to provide for the basic needs of people affected by conflict in the Amhara, Tigray and Benshangul-Gumuz region.
According to the statement from the organization, the program will be carried out in two parts.
The first aims to benefit a total of 221,575 victims in four districts of Amhara province, three districts of Benishangul-Gumuz province and two cities and one district of Tigray province and will be implemented for the next 18 months with a budget of 138 million Birr ($2.5 million).
It is to focus on public health, water, sanitation and hygiene, and protection programs.
"In addition, the provision of five new ambulances, distribution of clean water and latrine services for more than 196,000 individuals and offering of preliminary health counseling services to more than 22,500 individuals are among the planned activities to be performed," the statement said.
The second category of the project involves direct monetary assistance to affected community members.
According to the local Red Cross, about 3,000 households or 15,000 people will receive direct cash, on which the organization has allocated 75 million Birr ($1.4 million).
In early May, USAID, the US government's main international aid agency, and WFP announced that they ceased food distribution to Tigray region, assuming that shipments were being diverted to local markets.
The Ethiopian government's spokesman Legesse Tulu responded by calling the move "political" and noting that it "punishes millions."
Ethiopia endured fierce internal warfare beginning in November 2020, when Tigray People's Liberation Front forces attacked national military bases. Reacting, the federal government launched an offensive in the northern region.
In November 2022, the Ethiopian government and Tigray insurgents reached a peace agreement that brought an end to two years of armed conflict.
Some 20 million people in Ethiopia depend on food aid because of conflict and drought, the UN humanitarian agency (OCHA) reported in May.