Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Africanews
Published on 2024-01-31 11:58:15
The national ombudsman of Ethiopia has confirmed that nearly 400 people have died of starvation in the Tigray and Amhara regions in recent months. This rare admission of hunger-related deaths by a federal body comes in the wake of local officials reporting starvation deaths in their districts, despite the federal government’s insistence that these reports are “completely wrong.”
These regions are facing the dire consequences of drought and are still reeling from a devastating civil war that officially ended 14 months ago. The ombudsman office sent experts to the regions, who concluded that 351 people have died of hunger in Tigray in the past six months, with 44 more deaths in Amhara.
However, only a small fraction of needy people in Tigray are currently receiving food aid, as reported by an aid memo seen by The Associated Press. This comes more than one month after aid agencies resumed deliveries of grain following a lengthy pause over theft. The memo also revealed that just 14% of the 3.2 million people targeted for food aid by humanitarian agencies in Tigray had received it by January 21. It warned that the failure to take swift action would result in severe food insecurity and malnutrition, potentially leading to the loss of the most vulnerable children and women in the region.
The U.N. and the U.S. paused food aid to Tigray in mid-March last year after discovering a “large-scale” scheme to steal humanitarian grain, which led to the suspension being rolled out to the rest of Ethiopia in June. Despite introducing reforms to curb theft, the resumption of aid has been hampered by technical issues and a lack of funds.
Overall, around 20.1 million people across Ethiopia are in need of humanitarian food aid due to drought, conflict, and a deteriorating economy. The Famine Early Warning System, funded by the U.S., has warned that crisis levels of hunger or worse are expected in various regions throughout at least early 2024.
In addition to Tigray, the Amhara region is also facing challenges due to a rebellion that erupted in August, impeding humanitarian movements and making distributions difficult. Meanwhile, several regions of Ethiopia have been devastated by a multi-year drought, leading to malnutrition rates among children ranging from 15.9% to 47%. Tigray, home to 5.5 million people, was the center of a devastating two-year civil war that killed hundreds of thousands and spilled into neighboring regions.
Persistent insecurity in these regions has led to low levels of farmland being planted and poor crop production due to drought. Tigray’s authorities have warned of an “unfolding famine” that could match the disaster of 1984-5 unless the aid response is immediately scaled up.
Despite these alarming reports, the federal government denies the existence of a large hunger crisis and has dismissed reports of mass starvation deaths as inaccurate. This has led to a growing humanitarian crisis, with millions of people in desperate need of food aid and assistance. The international community must continue to monitor and provide support to Ethiopia to address these urgent humanitarian needs.
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