Mereja.Forum

New comprehensive study report by World Peace Foundation:

“Our stark conclusion is that the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea are starving the people of Tigray. Circumstantial evidence suggests that this is intentional, systematic and widespread. In today’s predicament it may be necessary for international humanitarian actors to cooperate with the authorities to provide essential assistance to the victims. It is not appropriate to praise the Ethiopian government for permitting modest acts of mercy towards the survivors of its policies.”

FORWARD

The calamitous humanitarian dimensions of the conflict in Tigray are becoming painfully clear. The
international community must respond quickly and effectively now to save many hundreds of thousands of lives.

The human tragedy which has unfolded in Tigray is a man-made disaster. Reports of mass atrocities
there are heart breaking, as are those of starvation crimes. There has been wanton destruction of
health facilities and food supplies; pillaging of essential services, including of industries which provided employment to tens of thousands of people; and the obstruction of essential relief to desperate
people.

This must end.

Whatever political differences may have sparked the armed conflict in Tigray, it is abhorrent for starvation to be used as a weapon of war at the expense of the civilian population. As affirmed by United
Nations Security Council resolution 2417, adopted unanimously less than three years ago, this may be
a war crime.

The fighting must stop: cessation of hostilities would then allow humanitarian agencies to reach people in need, and for those in need to receive assistance and restart their lives. An end to the fighting
now would enable farmers to plough their fields and plant their crops in the coming months.

Killings of civilians, widespread rape, expulsion of people from their homes, and attacks on refugees
in Tigray have been documented by international human rights organizations and the United Nations.
These shocking events are not only human rights violations in. their own right, but also, as this report
shows, are contributing to destitution and starvation.

This World Peace Foundation report details how starvation crimes go beyond the immediate destruction or theft of food and other essentials. They also include dismembering the components of an
elaborate food security system built up over decades.

Continue reading

Statement to BBC World Service (Newshour) in response to World Peace Foundation’s report on the situation in Tigray

https://www.ethioembassy.org.uk/stateme ... -ethiopia/

6 Apr 2021

Full statement submitted to BBC World Service Radio (Newshour) in response to World Peace Foundation’s report, “Starving Tigray“. https://sites.tufts.edu/wpf/starving-tigray/ An excerpt of the statement was read out on the programme, which was broadcast live on Tuesday, 6 April at 14:06 BST)
—

The Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia rejects, in the strongest terms, the unsubstantiated accusations by the World Peace Foundation that the Government of Ethiopia is

starving the people of Tigray

and using

starvation as a weapon of war.

The facts on the ground are entirely detached from the situation painted in the report, which deliberately ignores the fact that TPLF callously started the brutal attack on the Northern Command of the Ethiopian Defence Force (ENDF), just before the harvest season. Furthermore, the group deliberately destroyed much of the region’s physical and public infrastructure to aid its retreat from federal forces.

With the conclusion of the law enforcement operation, the Government’s main priority remains to rebuild and rehabilitate the Region by ensuring that urgent humanitarian needs are addressed. The Government has, thus far, taken concrete steps to comprehensively respond to the humanitarian needs on the ground by delivering life-saving food supplies to over 4.2 million citizens in Tigray, in coordination with local and international partners.

It should be made clear that 1.8 million people in Tigray were already living on safety net programmes over the last two decades, whilst the Region was governed by the TPLF. Furthermore, recent events such as the locust infestation, the COVID-19 pandemic and the TPLF’s warmongering have exacerbated the food security situation in the Region.

It is also to be recalled, that the Government of Ethiopia granted unimpeded access to humanitarian agencies operating in the Tigray Region. However, while several organisations are now scaling up their response to the humanitarian situation, the Government of Ethiopia is still covering 70% of the costs of the ongoing relief operations from its limited resources, while the remaining 30% is being covered by development partners and NGOs.

Despite the progress made thus far, the Government of Ethiopia recognises that the humanitarian situation on the ground remains complex. That is why the Embassy is, once again, appealing to the international community and development partners to stand with Ethiopia at this critical time by helping augment the Government’s lifesaving efforts.

The Embassy is also fully aware of the vested interests of some personalities in the World Peace Foundation, who, in a desperate attempt to revive the TPLF, will not hesitate to document fabricated stories under the guise of free and independent analysis.

—ENDS—

For further information, please contact the Press Office on 020 7838 3883 | [email protected]