Tigray: Sixteen Internally displaced people died in Tigray, Mekelle as USAID suspension deepens humanitarian crisis

At least 16 internally displaced Tigrayans have died from hunger and a lack of medical care over the past three months in IDP camp in Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, as the humanitarian crisis deepens amid the ongoing suspension of aid by the USAID, IDP coordinators said.

Gidey Berhe, the IDP coordinator for the 70 Kare IDP camp in Mekelle, told Wegahta that the suspension of USAID funding led to severe shortages of food and essential medical supplies for tens of thousands of displaced people.

“The gap in aid has been catastrophic, especially in food and medicine,” Berhe said.

He added that the WFP, which had been providing aid, has also reduced the amount of assistance it distributes, exacerbating the already dire situation for tens of thousands of displaced individuals.

According to Berhe, “Before the aid suspension, the WFP provided 15 kilos of food per individual. Now, it has been reduced to just 9 kilos.”

The suspension of USAID funding has disrupted humanitarian operations across Tigray, including food distribution, Medical supplement, and other assistance to vulnerable communities.

Humanitarian aid gencies have warned that the freeze is worsening an already critical humanitarian situation.

Only in the Mekelle, 70 kare IDP camp more than 22,252 Internally displaced persons including children and mothers are at risk of humanitarian catastrophe due to the suspension of USAID humanitarian assistance.