Mekelle፡Telaviv, Nairobi, Pretoria, London,April 1፡2025 (Tigray Herald)
A Siege by Any Other Name: The Fuel Embargo on Tigray
By Batseba Siefu
The Tigray region is once again under siege—not through the bombardment of artillery or airstrikes, but through an economic stranglehold that threatens lives just as surely as war. The deliberate restriction of fuel supplies to Tigray by the Ethiopian federal government represents a continuation of the siege tactics employed against the region during the height of the genocidal war. Fuel trucks have not entered Tigray in the past two weeks, crippling essential services and stalling any semblance of recovery in the genocidal war-ravaged region.
Officials from Tigray’s regional administration have accused the federal government of imposing an embargo, a charge supported by a letter from the Tigray Trade and Export Agency. Addressed to the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration, the Ethiopian Petroleum and Energy Authority, and the Ethiopian Petroleum Supply Enterprise, the letter highlights a severe drop in fuel deliveries over the past two months, culminating in a complete halt in recent weeks.
The Devastating Humanitarian and Economic Impact
The consequences of this fuel embargo are dire and far-reaching. Hospitals across Tigray are unable to transport essential medicines and equipment, leaving patients without critical care. The scarce ambulance services are grinding to a halt, endangering lives in rural areas where rapid medical response is crucial. Humanitarian aid, already scarce due to ongoing restrictions, is now struggling to reach internally displaced persons (IDPs) who are in desperate need of food, shelter, and medical supplies. Without fuel, aid trucks cannot operate, cutting off lifelines to the most vulnerable populations.
Beyond the immediate humanitarian crisis, the economic impact of the embargo is devastating. Public infrastructure projects, which are crucial to rebuilding the genocidal war-torn region, have stalled completely. Small businesses, already struggling to survive amid economic instability, are now unable to transport goods and services. Transportation services have been paralyzed, making it impossible for people to travel for work, education, or medical treatment. Farmers and traders who rely on fuel for their transportation face an existential crisis as their ability to produce and distribute food dwindles. The ripple effect extends to local markets, where food prices are soaring, making daily sustenance increasingly unattainable for many families.
Bureaucratic Deflection and Political Motives
The Ethiopian federal authorities have failed to provide a clear justification for the ongoing blockade. When questioned, the Ethiopian Petroleum and Energy Authority claimed not to have received the letter from Tigrayan officials, despite regional authorities asserting that they had sent multiple requests. Such bureaucratic deflection mirrors the tactics used during the full-scale blockade imposed on Tigray between 2021 and 2022, when humanitarian agencies and international bodies decried Ethiopia’s use of starvation and economic strangulation as weapons of genocidal war.
This fuel embargo is not a mere logistical failure; it is a calculated measure that weaponizes scarcity. The parallels to late 2020, just before the genocidal war erupted, are alarming. The artificial shortages of essential goods not only create suffering but also pave the way for an illicit market, enriching a select few while deepening the crisis for the majority. Furthermore, the restriction of fuel is a means to weaken the region politically, leveraging humanitarian distress as a form of coercion. By controlling the flow of vital resources, the Ethiopian government is exerting pressure on Tigrayan leaders and civilians alike.
A Continuation of Siege Tactics
The decision to cut off fuel to Tigray amid ongoing tensions between a faction of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Tigray Interim Administration suggests that this is not merely a supply chain issue. Rather, it is a continuation of the same siege tactics that defined Ethiopia’s genocidal war on Tigray: denying access to basic necessities, suffocating the region’s economy, and forcing its people into submission through controlled deprivation.
By restricting fuel, the federal government is ensuring that the humanitarian crisis in Tigray continues, even in the absence of active war fare. This siege is not about security concerns or logistical challenges—it is about control and subjugation. The international community must recognize this for what it is: an orchestrated economic assault on a population already reeling from genocidal war, displacement, and famine.
The systematic nature of the embargo raises concerns about the Ethiopian government’s broader strategy toward Tigray. If history is any indication, such tactics do not end with fuel; they often extend to the withholding of humanitarian aid, banking services, and communication access, further isolating the region and deepening the suffering of its people.
The World Cannot Look Away
This is a siege, plain and simple. And the world cannot afford to turn a blind eye once again. The international community, humanitarian organizations, and governments worldwide must urgently intervene to ensure that the Ethiopian government lifts its blockade on fuel deliveries to Tigray. If history has taught us anything, it is that silence and inaction in the face of such calculated deprivation only embolden those who wield suffering as a weapon.
Tigray’s people deserve to live free from economic coercion, and the global community has a moral obligation to ensure that humanitarian aid, including fuel, is allowed to flow unimpeded. The question now is whether the world will act—or whether it will, once again, watch in silence as a crisis deepens before its eyes.
Humanitarian aid must not be used as a bargaining chip. The siege on Tigray must end before the situation escalates into an even greater catastrophe.
A Siege by Any Other Name: The Fuel Embargo on Tigray
The Tigray region is once again under siege—not through the bombardment of artillery or airstrikes, but through an economic stranglehold that threatens lives just as surely as war. The deliberate restriction of fuel supplies to Tigray by the Ethiopian federal government represents a continuation of the siege tactics employed against the region during the height of the genocidal war. Fuel trucks have not entered Tigray in the past two weeks, crippling essential services and stalling any semblance of recovery in the genocidal war-ravaged region.
Officials from Tigray’s regional administration have accused the federal government of imposing an embargo, a charge supported by a letter from the Tigray Trade and Export Agency. Addressed to the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration, the Ethiopian Petroleum and Energy Authority, and the Ethiopian Petroleum Supply Enterprise, the letter highlights a severe drop in fuel deliveries over the past two months, culminating in a complete halt in recent weeks.
The Devastating Humanitarian and Economic Impact
The consequences of this fuel embargo are dire and far-reaching. Hospitals across Tigray are unable to transport essential medicines and equipment, leaving patients without critical care. The scarce ambulance services are grinding to a halt, endangering lives in rural areas where rapid medical response is crucial. Humanitarian aid, already scarce due to ongoing restrictions, is now struggling to reach internally displaced persons (IDPs) who are in desperate need of food, shelter, and medical supplies. Without fuel, aid trucks cannot operate, cutting off lifelines to the most vulnerable populations.
Beyond the immediate humanitarian crisis, the economic impact of the embargo is devastating. Public infrastructure projects, which are crucial to rebuilding the genocidal war-torn region, have stalled completely. Small businesses, already struggling to survive amid economic instability, are now unable to transport goods and services. Transportation services have been paralyzed, making it impossible for people to travel for work, education, or medical treatment. Farmers and traders who rely on fuel for their transportation face an existential crisis as their ability to produce and distribute food dwindles. The ripple effect extends to local markets, where food prices are soaring, making daily sustenance increasingly unattainable for many families.
Bureaucratic Deflection and Political Motives
The Ethiopian federal authorities have failed to provide a clear justification for the ongoing blockade. When questioned, the Ethiopian Petroleum and Energy Authority claimed not to have received the letter from Tigrayan officials, despite regional authorities asserting that they had sent multiple requests. Such bureaucratic deflection mirrors the tactics used during the full-scale blockade imposed on Tigray between 2021 and 2022, when humanitarian agencies and international bodies decried Ethiopia’s use of starvation and economic strangulation as weapons of genocidal war.
This fuel embargo is not a mere logistical failure; it is a calculated measure that weaponizes scarcity. The parallels to late 2020, just before the genocidal war erupted, are alarming. The artificial shortages of essential goods not only create suffering but also pave the way for an illicit market, enriching a select few while deepening the crisis for the majority. Furthermore, the restriction of fuel is a means to weaken the region politically, leveraging humanitarian distress as a form of coercion. By controlling the flow of vital resources, the Ethiopian government is exerting pressure on Tigrayan leaders and civilians alike.
A Continuation of Siege Tactics
The decision to cut off fuel to Tigray amid ongoing tensions between a faction of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Tigray Interim Administration suggests that this is not merely a supply chain issue. Rather, it is a continuation of the same siege tactics that defined Ethiopia’s genocidal war on Tigray: denying access to basic necessities, suffocating the region’s economy, and forcing its people into submission through controlled deprivation.
By restricting fuel, the federal government is ensuring that the humanitarian crisis in Tigray continues, even in the absence of active war fare. This siege is not about security concerns or logistical challenges—it is about control and subjugation. The international community must recognize this for what it is: an orchestrated economic assault on a population already reeling from genocidal war, displacement, and famine.
The systematic nature of the embargo raises concerns about the Ethiopian government’s broader strategy toward Tigray. If history is any indication, such tactics do not end with fuel; they often extend to the withholding of humanitarian aid, banking services, and communication access, further isolating the region and deepening the suffering of its people.
The World Cannot Look Away
This is a siege, plain and simple. And the world cannot afford to turn a blind eye once again. The international community, humanitarian organizations, and governments worldwide must urgently intervene to ensure that the Ethiopian government lifts its blockade on fuel deliveries to Tigray. If history has taught us anything, it is that silence and inaction in the face of such calculated deprivation only embolden those who wield suffering as a weapon.
Tigray’s people deserve to live free from economic coercion, and the global community has a moral obligation to ensure that humanitarian aid, including fuel, is allowed to flow unimpeded. The question now is whether the world will act—or whether it will, once again, watch in silence as a crisis deepens before its eyes.
Humanitarian aid must not be used as a bargaining chip. The siege on Tigray must end before the situation escalates into an even greater catastrophe.
