Ethiopia: Urgent call to prevent an impending humanitarian crisis in the Tigrai region, Ethiopia

11/10/2020 Ethiopia, Health, World



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In the early morning of November 4, 2020, the Federal Government, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, declared war on Tigrai and its people for conducting their regional elections in accordance with the national constitution, challenging the Federal Government that has postponed national elections. Elections indefinitely under the pretext of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alarmingly, the government has taken, as part of the war, unprecedented measures to cut off all public services, including ground transportation, flights, telecommunications, internet, banking services, and electric power throughout the Tigrai region, home to almost seven million people, basically suffocating the people, in effect, that could be labeled as the initial stage of ethnic cleansing.

The Region is in a bottleneck due to restrictions imposed on basic supplies of food, medicine, fuel, and other basic products for life. Now, the war has escalated on many fronts surrounding Tigrai. Unfortunately, in violation of international law and the recent rapprochement for peace, Eritrean forces have also joined Federal Government forces in fighting, aimed at crushing the regional state of Tigrai and its people with long-term consequences.

As reported by many international media outlets, the Federal Government has stepped up air strikes against its own population on the outskirts of the capital, Mekelle and several other cities in Tigrai, endangering the safety and livelihoods of the civilian population, which could cause hunger and the displacement of millions of people.

Surprisingly, according to the latest reports confirmed by the international community, thousands of Tigraians in Ethiopia residing outside of Tigrai are under attack. The ongoing mass arrest of thousands of Tigraians serving in security, military, police and intelligence; The massive dismissal of public servants from the banking, foreign affairs, aviation and other sectors, and the expropriation of the properties of Tigraians, solely because of their identity, are signs of the first phase of an ethnic cleansing led by the state. These irresponsible and dangerous acts can lead to a widespread pogrom against the Tigraians and a serious humanitarian crisis of unmatched proportions in Ethiopia.

As healthcare professionals and leaders, we are extremely concerned for the safety of millions of people, who are currently stranded in the war zone without access to essential supplies. The impact of war on health extends far beyond the battlefield to the lives of communities, often with devastating consequences including the collapse of the health system, lack of access to medicines, acute shortages of food that leads to hunger and physical and mental stress. health of both children and adults.

The war has already affected large segments of the population, affected by HIV / AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, who are now deprived of access to life-saving medicines donated by the global community. It has also affected more than 600,000 (10 ° / o of the population) who depend on the safety net program, supported by the international community. It should be noted that this war is occurring amid an extensive locust invasion and the COVID-19 pandemic in the region. We emphasize that if this war continues, all the socioeconomic and health achievements of the last three decades in the Region and, ultimately, in the country, will be quickly reversed.

Therefore, the declaration of a total and massive military invasion by the government itself in this context is deeply concerning. Unless this madness is stopped, there will be serious consequences for the population with a sharp increase in communicable diseases and preventable childhood diseases due to lack of vaccines and hygiene, resulting in a substantial increase in maternal and neonatal mortality. . Recent conflicts in other countries, such as the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the collapse and aftermath of Yugoslavia, and more recently Syria, South Sudan, Iraq, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Yemen are stark examples and stark reminders.

Therefore, the Health group of the Global Society of Tigrai Scholars (GSTS) calls on the international community to take the following actions as immediate actions:

1. Guarantee the right of the civilian population to access basic health services, food and shelter

2. Make efforts for an immediate ceasefire of all forms of hostilities and initiate an inclusive national dialogue for a peaceful resolution of the crisis, the free movement of people and essential supplies for the affected communities.

3. Demand the federal government to urgently restore basic services (electricity, telecommunications, internet, banks, roads, flights, etc.) and to deliver medical and other supplies to the population.

4. Help establish alternative humanitarian corridors through Sudan for the immediate delivery of food, emergency medical supplies and other essential resources to millions of people in the Tigrai region.