Ethiopia: EU suspends budget support over Tigray conflict

The European Union has postponed nearly €90m ($110m; £81m) in budget support payments to Ethiopia due to concerns over the crisis in the Tigray region.

European Commission spokeswoman Ana Pisonero-Hernandez told the BBC there were five conditions for the aid to be resumed:

– Granting full humanitarian access for aid workers to reach people in need in all affected areas

– Allowing civilians to seek refuge in neighbouring countries

– Ethnically targeted measures and hate speech must stop

– Mechanisms to monitor, and investigate allegations of, human rights violations

– Communication lines and media access to Tigray should be fully re-established.

She said the decision “does not affect EU humanitarian programmes on the ground or other development actions”.

Government forces have been battling Tigray fighters since 4 November.

Hundreds, even thousands, of people are thought to have been killed in the conflict, while about 50,000 have fled to neighbouring Sudan. (BBC)