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The war in Ethiopia continues, now a humanitarian crisis looms
The offensive against Tigray drives away thousands. Bild: AP / AP
Due to the ongoing military offensive of the Ethiopian government against the ruling party in the Tigray region, humanitarian workers are warning of a humanitarian catastrophe. “Tigray is isolated from all supply routes,” said Welthungerhilfe Ethiopia Country Director Matthias Späth of the German press agency. In the northern region of Ethiopia there are already at least 600,000 chronically malnourished people; these, as well as the rest of the population there, are now unavailable for helpers. One can only speculate where the heavy fighting would take place and where auxiliary corridors could be established, Späth said, emphasizing: Therefore, “we assume the worst.”
A week ago, after months of tensions with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the Ethiopian government launched an offensive against the rebel group and ruling party of Tigray. Little is known about the local situation, as telephone and Internet connections are interrupted and, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the streets are blocked and the electricity supply is cut off.
According to UNHCR, 7,000 people have already fled to neighboring Sudan. “We assume that the great rivers flow from Tigray to Amhara and Afar,” Späth said, referring to the two Ethiopian regions that border Tigray. Welthungerhilfe is trying to prepare for this by identifying reception camps, for example. According to the UN Office for Emergency Aid, around 200,000 internally displaced persons and refugees live in Tigray anyway. According to Späth, Welthungerhilfe does not work directly in Tigray, but in the Amhara and Afar regions. And Welthungerhilfe is networked with other organizations that are active in Tigray.
The TPLF was the dominant party in the party coalition that ruled Ethiopia with a heavy hand for more than 25 years. But when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018, he removed many old guard officials in the course of reforms and founded a new party without the TPLF. The TPLF and many people in Tigray do not feel represented by the central government and would like more autonomy. Under Abiy, who received the Nobel Peace Prize last year, ethnic conflicts in the multi-ethnic state of Ethiopia, with its around 112 million inhabitants, have increased. (aeg / sda / dpa)
