Ethiopia attacks kill civilians as health system nears collapse, WHO chief says

NAIROBI, Kenya -- Attacks in northern Ethiopia that reportedly killed children, including a newborn, are pushing the region’s fragile health system closer to collapse, the World Health Organization’s chief said Monday. Renewed fighting has effectively shattered a November 2022 peace agreement between the federal government and rebel forces in the Tigray region, stoking fears of a wider conflict. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a statement posted on X, said children were among those reportedly killed at the Jaari 2 displacement camp in Amhara. In Rama, in neighboring Tigray, several people were reportedly killed while trying to get food.Tedros gave no casualty totals or dates for either attack and did not identify the perpetrators. He referred more broadly to drone attacks and civilian casualties becoming frequent across Ethiopia.No government response or public statement addressing the reported attacks was immediately available.Hospitals in the north lack health workers, medicines and equipment, while ambulance services are severely limited and insecurity is obstructing medical deliveries, Tedros said. WHO and other United Nations agencies were working to delive...