Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, has indicated that racism is to blame for the lack of concern given by the world community to the situation of people in Ethiopia’s war-torn Tigray area.

With 6 million people unable to access basic amenities, Tedros referred to it as the “biggest humanitarian disaster in the world,” and he pleaded with people to pay attention to the problem as much as the conflict in Ukraine.

“Maybe the reason is the colour of the skin of the people,” Tedros, who is from Tigray, told a virtual media briefing on Wednesday. In April this year at a briefing, he questioned whether “black and white lives” in emergencies worldwide are given equal attention.

WHO emergencies director Mike Ryan also hit out at an apparent shortage of concern about the drought and famine unfolding in the Horn of Africa, and the ensuing health crisis.

“No one seems to give a damn about what’s happening in the Horn of Africa,” said Ryan, speaking at a virtual media briefing on Wednesday.

The WHO called for $123.7 million to tackle the health problems resulting from growing malnutrition in the region, where around 200 million people live and millions are going hungry.