Mekelle, March 4፡2025 (Tigray Herald)
Summary of the Humanitarian Situation in Tigray
Written by Batseba Seifu
Tigray, a region in northern Ethiopia, has been severely affected by genocidal war, leading to significant humanitarian needs. Despite scant improvements following the 2022 peace agreement, the situation remains dire. Approximately 1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) are living in dire conditions, with high levels of food insecurity and malnutrition. Girls and women, particularly survivors of sexual violence, require mental health and psychosocial support.
The genocidal war has also damaged health facilities, severely compromising basic health services, and caused over 1.1 million children to drop out of school.
Humanitarian Situation and Needs in Tigray
The humanitarian situation in Tigray is characterized by:
- Health: High levels of food insecurity and malnutrition, with an estimated 1 million IDPs in need of health assistance.
- Nutrition: Severe malnutrition rates, with surveys from July 2024 reporting a global acute malnutrition (GAM) prevalence of 17.9%, classified as “very high” by WHO/UNICEF standards.
- Protection: Significant protection needs, especially for girls and women who are survivors of sexual violence.
- Education: Over 1.1 million children out of school due to war-related disruptions.
- Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH): Limited access to safe water and sanitation services.
Key Findings from Recent Reports
- Serious Obstacles Preventing Tigray’s IDPs from Returning Home
- Displacement: The war displaced 2.5 million Tigrayans from their homes; to date, only 1.5 million have returned. Western Tigray, where many families used to live, remains occupied by Amhara Forces.
- Living Conditions: IDPs live in cramped and unsanitary conditions, with limited access to basic services. For example, the May Weyni IDP camp houses 3,600 people, with up to 40 people per room and no bathrooms.
- Economic Impact: Unemployment has more than quadrupled since the beginning of the war, rising from 17% in 2019 to 74.1% in 2022. The total crop harvest for the region has reduced by almost three-quarters. This, in addition of the floating of the dollar, has caused high inflation of food prices.
- Reconstruction Needs: The cost of reconstruction is estimated at US$20 billion, with significant damage to infrastructure, including industries, health services, and education settings.
- Humanitarian Support: Organizations like the Catholic mission Daughters of Charity (DOC) are providing psychological support and livelihood skills training to IDPs, but challenges remain due to the economic climate and limited resources.
- Camp Coordination and Camp Management Areas of Operation – December 2024
- Programme Overview: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) operates the Camp Coordination & Camp Management (CCCM) programme in Ethiopia, working closely with local communities, the government, and humanitarian actors. The programme aims to improve living conditions and access to services for affected populations through coordination and information management, site planning, development, maintenance, improvement, and community participation.
- Area-Based Approach (ABA): IOM CCCM has prioritized the ABA to assist populations affected by displacement, including IDPs living in dispersed areas or within host communities. This approach facilitates assistance to both host and displaced communities living in eleven Kebeles (lowest administrative unit in Ethiopia) at Community Resource Centers (CRC) and outreach activities.
- Relocation Efforts: During December 2024, 2,039 individuals were relocated to Mai Dimu and 998 IDPs to UNMEE Planned Sites of Tigray region.
- Assistance Provided: As of December 2024, the IOM CCCM programme assisted 191,981 people across 27 IDP sites in the Somali and Tigray regions and 4 Community Resource Centers (CRCs) in Tigray region. IOM is seeking multi-year funding from donors and support from humanitarian-development actors to continue its multi-stakeholder, multi-sectoral, Area-Based CCCM response.
Key Takeaways
- Tigray faces a humanitarian crisis: Widespread food insecurity and malnutrition, compounded by displacement and genocidal war.
- Immediate and Long-term Interventions Required: Strengthening agricultural recovery programs, improving food distribution systems, and scaling up emergency food aid.
- Enhanced Services Needed: Expanding emergency shelter assistance, improving healthcare services, and rehabilitating water supply infrastructure.
- Urgent Action: Immediate food aid, enhanced nutrition programs, expanded healthcare services, and long-term recovery efforts are crucial to prevent further deterioration.
- Support for IDPs: Continued support from organizations like IOM and DOC is essential to improve living conditions and provide livelihood skills training to IDPs.
Without adequate funding and support, millions of children, women, and men in Tigray will be deprived of essential life-saving services. Full funding of humanitarian appeals and continued support from international organizations, channelled through local organizations are crucial to support critical interventions, enhance resilience, and prevent further deterioration of the humanitarian situation.
