Alianza Shire partially suspends its project in Ethiopia until April 2021

• The members of the Shire Alliance have taken this decision after the armed conflict that has erupted in the Ethiopian region of Tigray since the beginning of November
• As soon as the situation allows the activity to restart, the European Union will be requested to immediately resume the project

Madrid, 9 December 2020.- The armed conflict that has broken out in the Ethiopian region of Tigray has led the members of the Shire Alliance to request the European Union to partially suspend –until 30 April 2021– the project that is being undertaken in three refugee camps.

Since the beginning of November, political tensions between the Federal Government of Ethiopia and the Regional Government of Tigray have led to an armed conflict that is affecting access to basic services such as electricity and fuel, communications and transport, in addition to losses of lives. The staff of the organisations with which the Alliance works have taken the necessary security measures.

During the course of these months, the Shire Alliance team will continuously monitor the situation in Tigray together with ZOA, a partner organisation for the project with a stable presence in the refugee camps, and UNHCR, a collaborating entity of the Shire Alliance.

When the situation makes it possible to restart activity in the fields before April next year, the Shire Alliance will immediately request that the European Union resume the project.

The Shire Alliance has recently finalised the technical design for extending the electricity distribution and street lighting networks in Mai-Aini, Shimelba and Adi-Harush. Also, in the home solar electricity supply area, it has carried out awareness workshops with the local people about the benefits of these systems and their operating requirements.

The Shire Alliance teams will make the necessary preparations so that, when it is possible to resume activities in the fields, they are ready to continue with the technical implementation.

UNHCR provides regular information on the refugee population situation in Ethiopia on its Operational Data Portal