“Our world order seems to have need of a serious transformation, otherwise the consequences will continue to effect more and more of the most vulnerable people who will be the first to lose,” affirms Bishop Medhin, who adds: “It is truly sad to witness these war scenarios which do not cease to worsen everywhere in the world. At a time when attention is mostly focused on the crisis in the Middle East, we do not want Tigray to be forgotten while people are dying in a war which has been going on for close to 3 years in the northern region of Ethiopia.”
Despite the peace treaty signed in Pretoria (South Africa) in November 2022, many causes have led to a serious humanitarian crisis. Blocked access and humanitarian aid, the occupation of Tigray by foreign powers, blocked political solutions, the impact of a growing drought caused by climate change, poor access to resources like water and irrigation systems—these are some of the precarious situations he brings to light.
“Our population leads an extremely difficult life in Tigray. More than a million people (the elderly, women, children) have been living in desperate situations since the start of the war in 2020—in tents and makeshift schools,” reports Mgr. Medhin. More than a million people are dead.
The conflict has had a devastating impact on agricultural infrastructures—notably, irrigation systems, farms, and livestock. “It disrupted already unstable agricultural practices, bringing about a decrease in agricultural production and again exacerbating food insecurity and malnutrition,” the bishop of Adigrat insists, giving more details on the situation in Tigray.
“Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to abandon their farms, leaving the ground uncultivated—a situation aggravated by drought conditions. Numerous farmers were displaced from their land. The hydraulic infrastructures—wells, reservoirs, irrigation systems—were damaged or destroyed, which disrupted the water supply.
“The destruction of forests and vegetation aggravates the drought situation by reducing water retention and the refilling of the groundwater tables. Our office of diocesan organization, in collaboration with its international partners, is attempting to repair systems and sources of water and to distribute water using vehicles.”
Medhin insists on the fact that these are the populations who suffer the most: “It is terrible that it’s the poor, crushed by water and deprived of food assistance, who suffer. The consequences of this armed conflict have aggravated the already unstable conditions of the drought, food insecurity, malnutrition, lack of medicine, and water shortages. It is vital to address both the conflict and the drought in order to save lives, rebuild the region, revive agriculture, and assure the well-being of the effected populations.”
He continues that if certain measures are not immediately implemented, peace remains threatened. He asks that the peace treaty of Pretoria be fully implemented: that the occupying force leaves Tigray, that road access to all the districts be guaranteed, that the million displaced people be able to return to their homes, and that humanitarian food assistance be reestablished.
Bishop Medhin concludes: “The international community must end its silence, because thousands of people continue to die. Violence and battles equally effect other regions of Ethiopia, and people who suffer everywhere have need of peace, food, basic services, and justice.”
Tesfaselassie Medhin, bishop of the Catholic Eparchy of Adigrat (Ethiopia), sent a letter to Agenzia Fides in which he warns against the fact that the escalation of conflicts in the world has led people to forget about the war in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, which has been wreaking havoc and destruction for nearly three years.