Tigray Region Faces Impending Famine: Impact of Conflict and Climate Crisis
In the arid expanse of Ethiopia’s Tigray region, a dire humanitarian crisis looms large as the devastating impacts of both prolonged conflict and the relentless march of climate change converge. Over the course of two tumultuous years, the once fertile fields of Tigray have transformed into barren landscapes, symbolizing the severe challenges confronting its inhabitants.
At the Fenarwa health center, Ada Arae Girmay, a mother of ten, grapples with the harsh reality of tending to malnourished infants, including her one-year-old twins, Assefa and Metkel. The health center becomes a lifeline, providing Ready-to-use Supplementary Food (RUSF) to sustain these vulnerable children. Girmay reflects on the profound shift from a life of farming to one of destitution, where hunger emerges as a relentless adversary.
This sentiment resonates among other mothers at the health center, such as Girmay, who express the vital role played by supplementary food in sustaining their infants. Tadesse Mehari, Director of Finarwa Health Center, personally displaced due to the conflict, paints a grim picture of the dire situation, emphasizing the widespread suffering, starvation, and death.
The challenges are staggering, as the ravages of war leave health facilities, including the esteemed Aydar hospital in Mekelle, in ruins, struggling to deliver basic care. Desperation extends beyond health centers, with villagers seeking refuge in district leaders’ offices, unable to endure the emptiness in their homes.
In the Messebo district, Haile Gebre Kirstos, a 70-year-old farmer, toils on his parched land, haunted by an exceptionally dry season that has rendered once-lush fields barren. Memories of the 1980s famine drive him to plow earlier than usual, revealing the harsh reality of having nothing to harvest despite owning three farms.
The root of the hunger crisis is complex, intertwined with the brutal two-year war disrupting farming activities and access to fertilizers. Moreover, humanitarian aid faces hindrances, as both the UN and USA suspend assistance over allegations of theft by Ethiopian authorities. Residents, compelled by the dire need, had previously donated their grain reserves to support Tigrayan fighters, exacerbating the scarcity.
Some farmers report forceful takings of grains and livestock by federal government forces and their allies. Edgar Githua, an international relations expert, characterizes this as a war tactic employed by the Ethiopian government, a weaponization of food, deemed illegal under international humanitarian law.
Tigrayan officials accuse the federal government of downplaying the crisis, as the region faces one of the most severe famines in its history. In a rare admission, the national ombudsman acknowledges nearly 400 starvation deaths in Tigray and Amhara regions, underscoring the urgent need for international intervention in this unfolding and dire humanitarian crisis.
