NAIROBI, KENYA — As Catholic officials in Tigray continue to call for meaningful peace talks and an end to atrocities and the humanitarian aid blockade, an international refugees organization is warning that Eritrean refugees in the northern region have nowhere to run.
Refugees International, a global organization advocating for displaced and stateless people, said in a report released March 3 that the humanitarian situation in Tigray was abysmal, with atrocities similar to war crimes displacing at least 2.5 million people inside and out of the country.
"The Ethiopian government has blocked virtually all food and medical shipments into Tigray, using food as a weapon of war," Sarah Miller, a senior fellow with Refugees International, said in the report, "Nowhere to Run: Eritrean Refugees in Tigray."
With starvation deaths mounting each day, she said in the report, and nearly 900,000 people in famine conditions, there are fears that the current situation in Ethiopia will mirror the Great Famine of the 1980s, when more than 1 million people died of starvation.
"The world should continue to be shocked at what is taking place in Tigray — manmade famine is something that should outrage all of us, including people of faith," Miller told Catholic News Service in an interview, while underscoring the role of faith groups in responding to the crisis and refugees in particular.
"Religious leaders inside Tigray and around the world have raised their voices in support of those suffering as a result of the humanitarian blockade. They should continue speaking out as much as they are able and sharing information with their communities about what is going on," she added.
Her views resonated with those of Catholic clergy from the region.
https://www.ncronline.org/news/world/ne ... ace-famine