A full-scale humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Ethiopia’s Tigray region
3rd November 2020 is the day when fighting broke out in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s national military forces. A year and millions of impacted lives later, the United Nations has defined the situation as a “full scale humanitarian crisis”.
Why is Ethiopia at war with itself?
Tensions had been rising between the TPLF and Mr Abiy long before the war. As the latter tried to dismantle the TPLF’s power, which it had gained through 27 years of authoritarian rule over the country, a controversial election in Tigray sparked incidents of violence within the region. This violence escalated, leading to an alleged attack by the TPLF’s militants on the Ethiopian national army base. In response, Prime Minister Abiy sent national troops to the area, resulting in a civil dispute between the TPLF and the national government.
The fighting has only intensified since then and peace talks have taken a back seat to the power struggle. More recently, the tide has turned in favour of the Tigrayan fighters as they threaten to march towards the capital Addis Ababa. In response to this, the Ethiopian government has declared a 6-month national emergency.
How is this conflict affecting the Ethiopian people?
The violence in northern Ethiopia has impacted the residents of Tigray and even those in the neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara. An estimated 2.2 million people have been internally displaced according to the local government. UNICEF has also reported that around 60,000 Tigray citizens have crossed the border to seek refuge in Sudan, and more than 18,000 of the refugees are children.
HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE
The civil war is not only a grave threat to the safety and well-being of Ethiopians, but it has also led to egregious human rights violations. A joint report conducted by the UN and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission reveals that all sides in the war had perpetrated torture, ethnic discrimination, and the killing of civilians. Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, declared that over the majority of the war period, the abuses were committed by Ethiopian and Eritrean forces. However, as time went on, they found evidence to support that Tigrayan forces had increasingly become perpetrators of abuse. Women and girls have also been victims of sexual violence by the soldiers.
DENIAL OF AID
The same report also accuses the government of creating blockades to deliberately deny the provision of aid and resources for those caught in the crossfire in Tigray. According to the BBC, there have been accounts from aid workers stating that the necessary supplies for those in need, if not blocked by the military, are stolen and do not reach their intended destination — all this despite the fact that millions of displaced civilians are in urgent need of food, medical assistance, and other resources.
EXTREME FOOD SCARCITY
There are about 5 to 7 million people in need of food assistance, and 400,000 of those are in really catastrophic famine-like conditions. UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock stated after an analysis of food insecurity in the region was published:
“The number of people in famine conditions … is higher than anywhere in the world at any moment since a quarter million Somalis lost their lives in 2011.”
In spite of circumstances continuously worsening, Prime Minister Abiy denies the existence of famine and instead, accuses the media and humanitarian groups of “working hand in hand with the enemy [TPLF] in propagating its false narrative”.
COLLAPSE OF THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
Before the war, Tigray had 47 hospitals, 224 health centres, 712 health posts and 69 functional ambulances. A recent assessment by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) indicated that about 70% of assessed hospitals and health centres in the region were either partially or fully damaged during the war, most ambulances were either looted or destroyed and all the health posts were rendered non-functional. As a result, over 2.5 million people are without access to essential medical services.
DISRUPTION OF EDUCATION
In Tigray and the bordering regions, approximately 1.4 million girls and boys are being deprived of their right to an education. About 2,500 schools have been shut down due to civil violence. In fact, several schools are currently being used to house displaced families. The COVID-19 pandemic had already made matters even worse, pushing over 26 million learners out of school for more than 9 months across the country.
Continued education was a safety net for Ethiopian children: girls faced a lower risk of sexual and gender-based violence, early pregnancies and child marriage while boys were less likely to be recruited by militant groups or forced into child labour. Thus, if they don’t receive immediate support, the children risk never completing their education and face a bleak future.
