The United Nations is warning of a worsening famine in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, where anti-government fighters have beaten back an Ethiopian military offensive after months of fighting that displaced an estimated 1.7 million people. This is U.N. aid chief Ramesh Rajasingham.

Ramesh Rajasingham: “More than 400,000 people are estimated to have crossed the threshold into famine, and another 1.8 million people are on the brink of famine. Some are suggesting that the numbers are even higher. Thirty-three thousand children are severely malnourished. And moreover, the food insecurity crisis will continue to worsen during the impending rainy season.”

The conflict came amid a worsening drought fueled by the climate crisis, and followed a locust infestation in 2020 that devastated crops across eastern Africa.