Mereja.Forum

In Tigray, Ethiopia, "to starve" is becoming a transitive verb. The government is starving the Tigray population and refusing to allow humanitarian access. It's an appalling situation.

Please wait. Loading ...

Agamew
Starvation/Famine is a trademark of Tigray.....ask your "uncle" Bob Geldof

sarcasm wrote: ↑

13 Feb 2021, 20:06

In Tigray, Ethiopia, "to starve" is becoming a transitive verb. The government is starving the Tigray population and refusing to allow humanitarian access. It's an appalling situation.

Please wait. Loading ...

I know Nicholas Kristof. Over the years I have read many of his articles. He is liberal in his political orientation. He is a genuine person who is a true example of how a journalist should be. I believe in Ethiopia’s case he is misinformed. His statement “ the government is starving the Tigray population” is not a statement I expect coming from him.
The Ethiopian government does not starve its own people.
Mr Kristof has traveled all
Over the world. If he is concerned about the situation in Ethiopia, especially Tigray, he should go there to observe and report what was happening.
It is truly a disservice to journalism, and to Mr Kristof, to whom I have high regard, to rely on politicians and cadres talking point to come to a decision that is regrettable.

Sam Ebalalehu wrote: ↑

13 Feb 2021, 20:28

I know Nicholas Kristof. Over the years I have read many of his articles. He is liberal in his political orientation. He is a genuine person who is a true example of how a journalist should be. I believe in Ethiopia’s case he is misinformed.

If he is a model journalist who bases his opinion on factual information, do you think there's a slight chance that his opinion is based on evidence as usual and you are the one who is misinformed? Maybe your preconceived belief of TPLF is not allowing your head to process factual information?

Sam Ebalalehu wrote: ↑

13 Feb 2021, 20:28

If he is concerned about the situation in Ethiopia, especially Tigray, he should go there to observe and report what was happening.

No foreign media is allowed to visit Tigray. That is the crux of the matter. No visa requests get approved by Ethiopian government. Tigray is shut off from the world. There's no internet. Even Ethiopian private media are not allowed to visit Tigray. A journalist from Ethiopian Insider visited Tigray. I don't know he told police about the purpose of his travel when he went to Mekele. So far one European journalist managed to visit Tigray in December I guess.

Sarcasm, today, I believe, it is the first time to me at least, you argue rationally. Might I be wrong and Mr Kristof rather correct ?
I would have entertained that possibility had MR Kristof spelled out his backing arguments which compels him to that conclusion. He did not do that.
I know money is tight. Even a well-respected newspaper like New York Times have no enough money to send journalists wherever there is trouble.
Being that the case, I expect journalists not to fall the loudest voice of the time. The loudest voice is not necessarily rational rather sensational.

Sam Ebalalehu wrote: ↑

15 Feb 2021, 22:05

Sarcasm, today, I believe, it is the first time to me at least, you argue rationally. Might I be wrong and Mr Kristof rather correct ?
I would have entertained that possibility had MR Kristof spelled out his backing arguments which compels him to that conclusion. He did not do that.
I know money is tight. Even a well-respected newspaper like New York Times have no enough money to send journalists wherever there is trouble.
Being that the case, I expect journalists not to fall the loudest voice of the time. The loudest voice is not necessarily rational rather sensational.

Hi Sam,

The backing argument which compels him to that conclusion is in his twit. He said "Ethiopian government is refusing to allow humanitarian access." Two months after Abiy declared mission accomplished, Aid organizations are still not allowed access to all areas of Tigray - on the ground. Please see the below report from the humanitarian org.

Lack of humanitarian access is fast becoming a defining issue in Ethiopia’s three-month conflict in Tigray: The UN and aid agencies say they’re not allowed to move sufficient personnel and goods into and around the region, and are being denied visas to bring in new international staff.

Some Ethiopians hate Tigrayans irrationally. They need to review their hatred and live together with Tigrayans. They need to respect and recognize the contribution Tigray has given to the world and Ethiopia. Otherwise we will end up fighting each other for years to come or end up in fragmenting Ethiopia. The world is not aware of Ethiopia's evil intentions regarding Tigray. This is shameful to say the least. As a country, Ethiopia has failed. The Amhara mentality is to lie and distort facts This should be corrected or else can have severe consequences for the Amhara as a tribe.

sarcasm wrote: ↑

13 Feb 2021, 20:06

In Tigray, Ethiopia, "to starve" is becoming a transitive verb. The government is starving the Tigray population and refusing to allow humanitarian access. It's an appalling situation.

Please wait. Loading ...

Tigray war has seen up to half a million dead from violence and starvation, say researchers

As many as 500,000 people have died from war and famine in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia over the past 16 months, researchers say.

The estimate, by experts who have closely monitored the Tigray conflict since its beginning, is a rare attempt to calculate the war-related death toll in a region that has been largely cut off from the outside world.

The estimate includes 50,000 to 100,000 victims of direct killings, 150,000 to 200,000 starvation deaths, and more than 100,000 additional deaths caused by a lack of health care, according to researchers led by Jan Nyssen of Ghent University in Belgium.

The war began when Ethiopia sent its military into Tigray in an attempt to subdue the rebellious regional government in November, 2020. The neighbouring country of Eritrea also sent troops into Tigray, and the war has led to massacres of civilians, destruction of hospitals and clinics, an exodus of refugees and the emergence of famine. Ethiopia has blocked most food aid to the region for months.

Despite the huge death toll, there are growing fears that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will overshadow the Tigray war and other long-running conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, reducing global attention and humanitarian aid for those crises.


Many of the most horrific crises, from Mozambique to Yemen, are in remote regions or countries where access is difficult. The war in Ukraine could further damage the flow of assistance by diverting humanitarian funds and increasing the cost of food and fuel. Some relief agencies are already reporting a decline in funding for their Africa operations as donors switch to Ukraine.

“We are seeing clear evidence of this war draining resources and attention from other trouble spots in desperate need,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told journalists on Monday.

In Ethiopia, authorities have blocked communications and flights into Tigray since the war began, while heavily restricting media access. “The Ethiopian government has been very efficient in shielding Tigray from outside eyes,” Prof. Nyssen said in an interview.

The death toll in Tigray is poorly documented because humanitarian workers were banned from bringing cameras into the region and continue to be threatened with expulsion if they speak out, he said.

Prof. Nyssen and his team have maintained a database of confirmed deaths in Tigray since the war began, in which they recorded 289 incidents causing the deaths of up to 12,478 civilians. But the true number of deaths from violence is far higher, they believe.

Continue reading https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/a ... lence-and/