Africa

Pope Francis Demands Food, Aid For Tigray Region

The United Nations says more than 350,000 people there are facing famine.

Pope Francis Demands Food, Aid For Tigray Region
Ben Curtis / AP

Pope Francis is demanding that humanitarian aid reach people in the war-torn Tigray region of northern Ethiopia. 

The United Nations and aid groups say more than 350,000 people there are facing famine and 2 million more are a step away from the worst famine since 2011 in Somalia. 

This comes as Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers are blocking food deliveries and other aid. 

Francis called for an immediate end to the fighting in Tigray, the return of social harmony and for "all food aid and health care assistance to be guaranteed."

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.