Unsettled war in Tigray: renewed violence is exacerbating the already-dire humanitarian crisis
- KCL Streetlaw Society Committee
- Sep 11, 2022
- 4 min read
by Ziti Lei on 11/09/22
Image source: "Objectivity concerns over UN’s report on Tigray civil war" - The Guardian
Background
The Tigray War is an ongoing civil war that began on 3 November 2020 in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Since the outbreak of the war in Tigray in November 2020, a deep humanitarian crisis has developed. Ethiopian forces and their allies are accused of violating the law of wars by pillaging and targeting homes and civilian infrastructure—crimes the Tigrayan forces would later replicate in other regions, while shutting off basic services and severely obstructing aid to civilians caught up in the fighting. The fight and continuous restrictions on humanitarian access brought great damage to the local areas as two million people were forced to leave their home, leaving 2.3 million people in need of assistance.
Since the Ethiopian government declared a humanitarian truce on 24 March 2022, humanitarian convoys that were previously blocked from entering Tigray were finally making it into the region. But what they were able to provide didn’t come close to matching the mounting needs of a vulnerable population.
On 30 August, the first ship carrying a much-needed humanitarian grain shipment from Ukraine docked in the neighbouring nation of Djibouti last week. The food is expected to reach Ethiopia in just days, but it won't be anywhere near enough to feed those who are in need. With fuel deliveries and cash flows stymied, as well as the government still keeping the banks closed and telecommunications shut off, aid organisations are struggling to save lives. Therefore, people’s lives in Tigray are still not getting any better and more support from the international community is needed.
What is happening now/current events
Lack of effective responses from the international society
The three elected members representing the African Union at the Security Council—Gabon, Ghana, and Kenya, known as the A3—have repeatedly stalled public discussion on Ethiopia, allowing this blatant disregard for the dire Ethiopian situation to persist. And yet, faced with flagrant violations of its own resolution in Ethiopia, the Security Council never sanctioned those who are most responsible for the unlawful actions during the conflict. What’s more, the council hasn’t even placed the ongoing siege in Tigray on its formal agenda.
Renewed violence
Reports of violent fights emerged again at the end of August in the town of Kobo in southern Tigray. The independence-minded rebels of the Tigray province and the Ethiopian government forces blamed each other for firing the first shots. Regional analysts had warned that the tension was building up quickly again in the region, which would exacerbate the already-dire humanitarian crisis in Tigray.
The humanitarian aid has become a political bargaining chip
In the meantime, Ethiopia and its partners in the region and beyond have allowed access to life necessities to become a political bargaining chip. They accused each other for launching offensive acts in the region and kept bargaining on the restoration of basic services. With the resumption of fighting, it's even more essential for the world to make clear that negotiations and access to aid must be decoupled.
What this means to the local community and wider implications
Food shortage
Ethiopia is one of the six countries that are recognized by the UN for having people at risk of starvation. In the Tigray region and other conflict affected areas, the food shortage problem is even more severe than other places. Since the start of the conflict, the Ethiopian federal government has strictly controlled access to the Tigray Region. According to UNICEF’s report, the food, including ready-to-use therapeutic food for the treatment of child malnutrition, medicines, water, fuel, and other essentials that are still running low. A journalist who travelled to Tigray in late May and early June said that he saw “hunger everywhere.” In August, the U.N. warned that one out of three Tigrayan children under the age of 5 is acutely malnourished.
Internal displacement and forced displacement
As of December 2020, the UN estimated that more than one million people had been internally displaced by the fighting, whilst more than 50,000 people have fled to Sudan due to the conflict.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, as of 2 February 2021, 20,000 of the Eritrean refugees in Tigray - mostly from the Hitsats and Shimelba camps, have remained unaccounted for.
Humanitarian work is hampered in the region
There have been several reported attacks on humanitarian workers, including attacks by Ethiopian government soldiers. Many humanitarian agencies have reported having been repulsed at army checkpoints and blocked from entry to various regions. Armed forces were accused by US officials of specifically singling out humanitarian workers for attacks. Besides, though some humanitarian convoys finally made it into the region, the mounting needs of the vulnerable population are almost impossible to fulfil since the government is still keeping the bank closed and telecommunications shut off.
What can we do to help
Urge help from the international community
The U.N. Security Council, starting with the A3, and the African Union need to act now. They should publicly call on Ethiopia to completely lift its chokehold on desperately needed humanitarian aid and its shutdown of basic services. The irresponsible act of the warring parties should be sanctioned. They should abide by international law and facilitate assistance to those in need without any precondition or delay. The Security Council should hold a public debate to address the conflict-induced hunger and place Ethiopia on the council’s regular agenda.
Continue the humanitarian work in Tigray
Those using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare by impeding relief supplies or depriving civilians of what they need for their survival can be prosecuted for war crimes. For this to happen, continuing the work of the United Nations International Commission on Human Rights in Ethiopia, which is up for renewal by the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva in September, will also be critical.
Public pressure on humanitarian aid
African and U.N. engagement over Russia’s Black Sea blockade has demonstrated what public pressure combined with diplomacy can deliver on humanitarian aid. Ships departing from Ukraine’s ports laden with grain is the best kind of dividend of that approach. The international community rallies should work together to make sure that humanitarian assistance is delivered to populations in greatest need.
Sources
https://www.hrw.org/tag/tigray-conflict
Kommentare