As part of efforts to promote the implementation of the Permanent Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) and support the wellbeing and rehabilitation of vulnerable and conflict-affected communities in Ethiopia, the African Union (AU) donated urgent food and non-food items worth fifty thousand US Dollars ($50,000), to the Elshadai Relief and Development Association (ERDA), which caters to over three thousand displaced and orphaned children in the Tigray region of Northern Ethiopia. The handover ceremony occurred on 10 September 2024, on the eve of the Ethiopian New Year.

On behalf of the AU, Major General Stephan Radina, Head of the AU Monitoring, Verification, and Compliance Mission (AU MVCM), based in Mekelle, Tigray, delivered the items to Mr Yemane Weldemariam, Director and Founder of the ERDA and his team, in a ceremony attended by Major General Zewdu Kiros, Head of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation of the Tigray Interim Regional Administration (TIRA), other senior regional officials, AU staff and the beneficiaries. The donation included teff for injera, wheat flour and cooking oil, kitchen utensils, sanitary items, beddings, sporting equipment and stationery items such as books, note pads and pens, which were purchased from local vendors in the Tigray region, to empower the affected community further.

During the handover ceremony, Major General Radina stated, “The AU remains committed to advancing peace, security and stability on the continent and protecting vulnerable persons, particularly children in conflict and post-conflict situations, in line with Aspiration 4 of Agenda 2063”. He reiterated the AU principles of African solidarity, African solutions and silencing the guns, reaffirmed the AU’s commitment to supporting the Ethiopian peace process, thanked the authorities on behalf of the AU for their commitment to sustainable peace and stability since the signing of the peace agreement and encouraged them to redouble efforts towards the full implementation of the Permanent COHA. 

Major General Zewdu Kiros, Head of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation of the TIRA, thanked the AU Commission for supporting peace and stability efforts in the Tigray region. Mr Weldemariam also thanked the AU profusely for its “generous support and unwavering commitment in helping vulnerable citizens and victims of war in the country… and for making a difference in our community”. He noted that the gifts will help rehabilitate vulnerable children.

It must be recalled that in June 2023, the AU High-Level Panel on Ethiopia, led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, together with AU Commissioner Bankole Adeoye, paid a status visit to Mekelle, and subsequently visited various IDP camps and centres to map out local AU humanitarian partner institutions. The ERDA was selected as a beneficiary institution based on its uniqueness in serving as a haven for children who lost their parents in different circumstances during the conflict, in addition to its decade-old services to vulnerable people in the community, including widowed women and street children, among others.

The African Union appreciates Japan for providing these funds and commends all the partners of the AU who continue to support the quest for lasting peace and stability in the Tigray region.

For more information, please contact:

Mr Paschal Chem-Langhee I Communications Coordinator I Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department I African Union Commission I Email: chem-langheep@africa-union.org

Information and Communication Directorate, African Union Commission I Email: DIC@africa-union.org I Web: au.int | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Follow Us: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

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