WASHINGTON, 25 December (TON0): One of the two UN teams tasked to assess the humanitarian needs in Ethiopia's Tigray region is being stranded, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, on Thursday.

One team is now in Mekelle, capital of Tigray, waiting to proceed to Adigrat. The other team, however, had not proceeded to Shire as planned due to additional permissions requested by the authorities, the spokesman quoted UN humanitarians as saying.

The Ethiopian Ministry of Peace is expected to facilitate the clearance as soon as possible, he told a press briefing.

Health, nutrition, food, water, sanitation and hygiene as well as non-food items are the priority needs, said Dujarric.

The spokesman said Wednesday that humanitarian assistance started to gradually trickle into Tigray although access was limited in areas where conflict was ongoing.

Since Nov. 4, the Ethiopian government has been undertaking military operations against the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which rules Ethiopia's northernmost Tigray state.