The leadership of Ethiopia’s war-torn Tigray region issued a stark warning on Friday, highlighting an imminent famine resulting from a combination of drought and the enduring impact of the devastating two-year conflict in the northern part of the country.
Getachew Reda, president of the interim regional authority in Tigray, revealed that over 91 percent of the population is now “exposed to the risk of starvation and death.” He urgently appealed to both the Ethiopian government and the international community for assistance.
In a statement shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, Getachew drew parallels with the Ethiopian famine in the 1980s, which claimed the lives of approximately one million people. He pointed out that, despite the signing of the Pretoria agreement in November 2022, thousands of Tigrayans have lost their lives due to a lack of food.
The on-the-ground situation in northern Ethiopia remains difficult to independently verify as media access to Tigray is restricted by the federal government.
Getachew disclosed that Tigray’s interim administration had declared a disaster emergency in areas under its control but faced significant challenges due to limited resources to handle the crisis.
“The Ethiopian government and the international community have done their part to silence the guns. Now they should do their part to address the looming humanitarian catastrophe,” urged Getachew.
He emphasised the far-reaching consequences of the conflict, including an economic crisis, mass displacement, destruction of health facilities, shortage of seasonal rains, destructive rainfall, and locust invasions.
The temporary suspension of aid earlier in the year by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) had also played a detrimental role in exacerbating the crisis, according to Getachew.
While aid has been restored on a limited basis, he stressed that the amount reaching those in need is only a fraction of what is necessary to meet current requirements.
A statement from the UN’s humanitarian response agency OCHA on December 22 confirmed the worsening drought situation in various parts of northern, southern, and southeastern Ethiopia. The report warned of a further deterioration unless urgent aid efforts are scaled up. The food security outlook for Tigray from October 2023 to May 2024 is anticipated to worsen, with severe food insecurity expected among displaced populations, according to the global Famine Early Warning Systems Network.