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Trócaire is responding to the Ethiopia crisis, providing immediate relief such as blankets, sleeping mats, cooking items, medicines and hygiene kits through partners on the ground in the Tigray region. Over 4.5 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian support due to this armed conflict that has devastated northern Ethiopia in recent months. We are also providing psychosocial support to assist people affected by the trauma of this conflict.
Our local church partners in Tigray in Northern Ethiopia are providing emergency supplies to people affected by the recent armed conflict. Photo : Caritas Internationalis
On 4 November 2020, armed conflict broke out between the regional government and the Federal government in northern Ethiopia in the country’s Tigray region.
With communications cut in Tigray, and the situation changing all the time, it is difficult to confirm what is happening.
Media reports say that clashes between Ethiopian and Tigrayan forces continue in Tigray and over 1 million people are now thought to be displaced (AP report).
We are concerned about the alarming increase in reports of sexual violations and abuses in Tigray Region, as reported by OCHA.
We have a local presence in Ethiopia and are working with local church and aid agencies to respond to this growing crisis. We are supporting the work of the Ethiopian Catholic Church and Caritas Internationalis.
Along with our local partners, we are supporting health clinics and pharmacies to provide vital care and to restock medicines and supplies.
We are working with local experts and community support networks to provide psychosocial support to people and communities affected by the conflict.
In multiple locations around Tigray, we have been able to support with the delivery of temporary shelter materials, blankets, sleeping mats, cooking items and hygiene kits for families displaced by and made homeless by the conflict.
Our partner is working to provide emergency food aid to thousands of people in need. Working alongside the church in Ethiopia, Caritas Internationalis plans to deliver water to 30,000 people, nutrition support to over 50,000 children under 5, and practical support like trauma and emergency kits and hygiene facilities to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
This will be alongside longer-term support, which will include the provision of seeds, cash transfers and education materials.
By supporting our Lenten appeal, you can help provide emergency support to people affected by conflict in Ethiopia, as well as people affected by other conflicts around the world, such as in Myanmar, South Sudan and Syria.
Our local church partners in Tigray in Northern Ethiopia are providing emergency supplies and construction temporary shelter for people who have fled the recent armed conflict. Photo : Caritas Internationalis
This conflict will have repercussions across the Horn of Africa. The UN chief Antonio Guterres has warned that “the stability of Ethiopia is important for the entire Horn of Africa region.”
The UN estimates that 1.1 million people in Tigray rely on food aid and across the country around 7 million people face food shortages. There are reports of high levels of malnutrition, especially among children.
There are growing health concerns for the spread of the coronavirus as people end up in large makeshift camps, without the basics – like clean water, and health care facilities – to protect themselves against the virus. Much of the water infrastructure in the region, such as boreholes and irrigation systems, have been damaged or destroyed in the conflict leaving much of the population without access to safe, clean drinking water.
Accusing the leadership of the Tigray region of attacking a military base, the Ethiopian government began military operations in the region.
The eruption of violence came after roughly two years of growing tensions between the government and the country’s former ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, who ran Ethiopia for almost three decades.
This photo shows a seminary building which was hit by shelling in the armed conflict. Photo : Caritas Internationalis
Trócaire’s Lent campaign this year focuses on people who are affected by conflict, such as in Ethiopia and in other countries affected by conflict, such as South Sudan and Myanmar.
In some of the longest running conflicts, generations of people in these countries have been forced to live through war and conflict. Their resilience and determination to help each other is remarkable. By donating to our Lenten Appeal, you will be helping them to help themselves.
