The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the world does not give equal consideration to humanitarian emergencies affecting black people like it is giving to the war in Ukraine.
Speaking in a virtual press briefing from Geneva on Wednesday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said only a fraction of the help given to Ukraine was given to other humanitarian crises.
Tigray, a province in Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan or Syria are not receiving the same attention, he said.
“I need to be blunt and honest that the world is not treating the human race the same way. Some are more equal than others. And when I say this, it pains me. Because I see it and it is very difficult to accept, but it’s happening,” he added.
In March, Tedros said there is “nowhere on earth where the health of millions of people is more under threat” than Ethiopia’s Tigray region.
War broke out in Tigray between the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF); a group that dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades and the government in November 2020 following months of simmering tension.
Since a truce was declared in Tigray three weeks ago, about 2,000 trucks should have been able to bring food, medicines and other essentials to the conflict-ridden area, he said. Instead, only about 20 trucks have arrived, said Tedros, a former minister of health in Ethiopia.
