Currently, basic necessities and services are not available on the market or are not very accessible to the majority of the population. Furthermore, the lack of fuel and financial resources, associated with the sanctions imposed by the Ethiopian federal government, has reduced the distribution of humanitarian aid in several districts and cities in the Tigray region.
“I urge, once again, all partners to continue to provide humanitarian aid to people affected by the war in Tigray (Tigré), in order to jointly respond to the immense need of the Tigrayan people”.
This is the urgent appeal of the diocesan director of the Catholic Secretariat of Adigrat, Abba Abraha Hagos, (ADCS), in a note sent to Agenzia Fides.
As of June 21, 2022, after the humanitarian truce promoted by the prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, – thanks to which the population had a minimum of access to foodstuffs, medicines and few other services – air transport was once again paralyzed, worsening the situation of the Tigrayans as a result.
Currently, basic necessities and services are not available on the market or are not very accessible to the majority of the population. Furthermore, the lack of fuel and financial resources, associated with the sanctions imposed by the Ethiopian federal government, has reduced the distribution of humanitarian aid in several districts and cities in the Tigray region.
All basic services such as telecommunications, internet, banking, transport and connections between Tigre and other regions of Ethiopia are also blocked.
The continuous sieges of the region by the Ethiopian Federal Government have been isolating the population of Tigré from the rest of the world for more than 600 days. Millions of people, according to the statement, are exposed to severe malnutrition, hunger and scarcity; all these people live in centers for the displaced, inside several cities, towns and rural areas of Tigré, without food, without shelter and without water, medicine and other basic necessities, leading them to despair, illness and death.
Therefore, director Abba Abraha Hagos invites all partners and humanitarian organizations to “give a voice to the population of Tigré, so that they have unlimited access to humanitarian aid, through air and land transport, and to guarantee them the right to a dignified life”. and safe”. According to him, the situation is dramatic, to the point of becoming an existential threat to the population of the Ethiopian region of Tigra”.
Since January 2021, the Catholic Church in Ethiopia, together with the Diocesan Catholic Secretariat of Adigrat (ADCS) and the religious congregations operating in the Catholic Eparchy of Adigrat, have been committed to meeting the priority needs of the war-affected population. Thanks to financial and material support, the Secretariat’s emergency response programs have saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
However, although the Diocesan Secretariat of Adigrat and the Religious Congregations are raising funds and mobilizing resources from different partners, the continuous harassment of the Tigray region continues to influence the performance of such programs and limit efforts to reach the most needy.
*With Fides Agency
