U.N says TPLF stole 570,000 liters of fuel from WFP warehouse

August 24, 2022 (MAKELLE) – The United Nations on Wednesday said Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) forces stole 12 fuel trucks from a World Food Program (WFP) warehouse in Mekelle, Ethiopia.

Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, told journalists in New York that the Tigrean forces , in the morning of August 24, “forcefully entered” World Food Programme Warehouse in Mekelle and “stole” 12 track tankers of oil  ( 570,000 liters).

“These stocks of fuel would be used solely for humanitarian purposes with the distribution of food, fertilizers and other emergency relief items,”  he said in a statement.

The U.N spokesperson added that the “loss of fuel will impact humanitarian operations. ”

The U.N has condemned “looting or confiscation of humanitarian goods on humanitarian premises.”

David Beasley, the WFP Director, called the incident “outrageous and disgraceful”.

“Hours ago, Tigrayan authorities stole 570,000 liters of fuel for @WFP operations in #Tigray! Millions will starve if we do not have fuel to deliver food. This is outrageous and disgraceful. We demand the return of this fuel now,” he tweeted on Thursday.

In December last year, the world body reported that large amounts of food supplies had been looted from their warehouses in northern Ethiopia, leading to the suspension of food distributions in two towns.

The United Nations has been a target of anger by both the federal government and now the Tigray forces. On September 30, the government declared several senior U.N. humanitarian officials persona non grata and expelled them, saying they were interfering in the country’s internal affairs.

The federal government’s military has been fighting the TPLF since November 2020. The conflict has displaced nearly 1.2 million people internally, while thousands have sought safety in neighboring Sudan.

(ST)