Ethiopia's athletics chief on Thursday urged the federal government to ease access to the war-torn Tigray region, which is home to several medalists from the recently concluded World Athletics Championships.
The northern region has been largely cut off from the rest of the country due to the conflict between federal forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which erupted in November 2020.
Three of Ethiopia's four gold and one silver medalists from the championships held earlier this month in the US city of Eugene hail from Tigray, including women's marathon winner Gotytom Gebreslas.
"The Tigrayan athletes still haven't had the opportunity to see their families. I hope our president and our government will solve this problem," said Derartu Tulu, who heads the Ethiopian Athletics Federation.
The Olympic long track gold medalist added that some athletes were stranded in Tigray and could not participate in the championships, which saw Ethiopia finish second on the medal table behind the United States with a total of 10 medals.
"For these athletes, opening roads and other essential things that the government is aware of, we want these things to be done for us and we sincerely request our government," she said at a ceremony to honor the winners.
Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde, who holds a largely ceremonial role, also spoke at Thursday's event about the conflicts plaguing Ethiopia.
"The athlete who broke down in tears and said, 'I wish my father and mother were watching and celebrating,' touched many of our hearts as she wiped her tears with our national flag with mixed feelings of happiness and sadness," Saleh-Work said, referring to Gebreslas.
The conflict in northern Ethiopia has pushed hundreds of thousands of people to the brink of famine, displaced more than two million and left more than nine million in need of food aid, according to the United Nations.
Fighting has eased since a humanitarian ceasefire was declared in late March.
However, according to aid agencies, Tigray continues to face crippling food and fuel shortages, while also lacking access to basic services such as electricity and banking.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent troops to Tigray in November 2020 in response to what he said were attacks by the region's then-ruling party, the TPLF, on federal army camps.
The insurgents made a shock comeback in June last year, capturing Tigray before expanding into neighboring Afar and Amhara regions.
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