ERCS Leadership Visits Mekelle to Assess Humanitarian Response in Tigray
A delegation of the Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) Governing Board and executive leadership visited Mekelle, Tigray, on October 22, 2026, to assess the humanitarian situation and strengthen support for conflict-affected communities.
In their welcoming remarks, Dr. Abenezer Etsedengl, Chairman of the ERCS Tigray Regional Branch Board, and Ato Berhanu Mokonen, Head of the Regional Branch, appreciated the ERCS leadership’s visit at this critical time. They also thanked the leadership for its swift response to urgent humanitarian needs.
The Tigray Caretaker Administration and the delegation visited Awash Hospital, where war-wounded patients have faced a lack of adequate caregiving support since the conflict escalated on September 23, 2026.
Tigray Caretaker Chief Administrator Asefa Abraha acknowledged the Ethiopian Red Cross Society’s life-saving interventions and reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to supporting humanitarian efforts and restoring peace and stability in the region.
ERCS President Ato Abera Tola handed over emergency food assistance worth more than 3.5 million Birr to Awash Hospital, comprising 240 quintals of wheat flour, 720 liters of edible oil, and 7 quintals of salt. He noted that although the contribution was modest compared with the scale of the needs, the contribution reflects the Red Cross’s commitment to supporting affected people alongside the community and other stakeholders.
Ato Abera Lulessa, ERCS Secretary General, reaffirmed the ERCS’s commitment to strengthening support for the Tigray Regional Branch to enhance its humanitarian response capacity and support affected people in Tigray.
The delegation also visited the ERCS Tigray Regional Branch warehouse, where essential medicines and medical equipment worth more than 56 million Birr were handed over to 6 health facilities across various woredas in the Southern Zone of Tigray. The supplies were provided through the Ethiopia: From Crisis to Resilience (FCDO-EC2R) project and are expected to strengthen healthcare services for local communities.
In addition, the delegation held discussions with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Tigray Sub-delegation to strengthen coordination and collaboration in addressing humanitarian needs across the region.
The visit underscores ERCS’s commitment to solidarity, partnership, and coordinated humanitarian action to alleviate the suffering of conflict-affected communities in Tigray.
Source: ERCS Tigray Regional Branch Communication Department
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