Why are people in Tigray starving 15 months after the signing of an agreement that was supposed to relieve them from suffering? If international assistance doesn’t come now, we could be seeing a repeat of the infamous Ethiopian famine of the 1980s.
The conflict in the northern region of Ethiopia over the last three years has been dire, marked by the loss of hundreds of thousands of civilian lives. It has included the systematic targeting of farmers and the destruction of crops, leading to one of the worst humanitarian and human rights catastrophes in recent decades.
Despite the signing of a cease-fire agreement in early November 2022, the crisis in Tigray persists. When the agreement was signed, there was hope that it would bring an end to the conflict, along with increased access to humanitarian aid. While limited humanitarian assistance and services were restored following the agreement, food assistance was quickly suspended by the U.N. and USAID due to reports of aid theft and diversion.
About the authors
Teklehaymanot Weldemichel
Teklehaymanot Weldemichel is an associate professor of human geography at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. His research areas encompass conservation politics, environmental justice, state violence, land rights, and the broader discourses of development.
Birhan Gebrekirstos
Birhan Gebrekirstos is co-author of “Meqanit” (Tearing the body, breaking the spirit) and founder of Wegahta CSO. She is a human rights activist and volunteers in humanitarian organizations where she documents human rights violations and sexual violations. She is a researcher and lecturer at Mekelle University’s Mekelle Institute of Technology.
