Can the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia keep it together? Change has become increasingly bloody it seems since the 2012 death of longtime leader Meles Zenawi, a Tigrean whose home region is now in open revolt against the central government. There, conventional fighting is morphing into guerrilla warfare with reprisals against civilians fuelling a vicious circle. Elsewhere, regional and ethnic tensions are also on the rise.
Category: Weaponized SGBV
Rape and Ethnic Cleansing in Tigray
Victims have told investigators that when Ethiopian federal regular soldiers and militia inflict infertility on Tigrayan women with burning metal rods, after gang-raping them, they tell the women that this is to stop them having ‘Woyene’ children (the Amharans’ derogatory term for ‘Tigrayans’).
Gender Analysis Key Findings: Women’s Exploitation & Gender-based Violence Across Ethiopia’s Tigray Crisis
Between late February and early-April 2021, as the crisis continued in Tigray, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) conducted a Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) with 186 clients and stakeholders across 6 refugee camps and sites for internally displaced persons (IDPs). The RGA is a critical step in the IRC’s efforts to ensure that emergency programming in Tigray is responsive to the needs of women and girls, who have been impacted differently by the crisis than men and boys. This document focuses primarily on the findings around gender-based violence, and the sexual exploitation of women and girls in exchange for cash to buy food. A more comprehensive report will be released in mid-May 2021, with more detailed findings on women’s needs, and how these are shaped by changing gender and social norms, within the camp setting.
UNFPA Ethiopia – Preparedness and Response Plan for the Tigray Crisis – 2020
Nearly 96,000 refugees are affected by the crisis and are in need of protection and health services as well.
The plan seeks US$75.7 million to provide life-saving assistance to people affected by the conflict in Tigray, Afar, and Amhara regions.
Tigray could face famine without increased access to region, US aid official says
“somewhere between 950,000 to 1.25 million people are inaccessible to humanitarians.”
“Right now, we’re tracking about 4.5 million people in the Tigray region who are in need of humanitarian assistance, and about 4 million of those people are in need of food assistance,”
“We are seeing increased numbers of people who are internally displaced. Right now about 1.1 million internally displaced people are in the Tigray region. And we’re also seeing a concerning situation when it comes to the health situation, about 15% of hospitals and health centers are fully functioning.”
‘No more sacred places’: Heritage sites under siege in Tigray conflict
“Not only us, but Muslims all over the world are shocked that this happened,”
“The FCDO must doIn the town of Dengolat, hundreds of residents hid in a centuries-old Orthodox church as Eritrean soldiers allegedly gunned down more than 160 civilians in late November.
At around the same time, Eritrean soldiers massacred hundreds of civilians in the ancient Tigray city of Axum, a UNESCO World Heritage site, including Orthodox Christians gathering for a major festival, according to Human Rights Watch.
Ending Tigray conflict will test UK’s claim to be ‘force for good’
More than 1.7 million people have been displaced within Ethiopia by the fighting, according to the UN, and there have been widespread reports of rape, massacres and attacks on health facilities.
“The FCDO must do everything in its power to ensure humanitarian access, and bring sanctions against those who try to obstruct delivery of vital food, water, healthcare and shelter,”
Ethiopia’s Tigray Conflict: Six Months On and No End in Sight
A “dirty war” with no fronts that was causing suffering for “defenseless victims”.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told Congress that “ethnic cleansing” is unfolding in western Tigray, with Amharas driving out Tigrayans
“Further deterioration is expected as the conflict continues and disrupts the next planting season,” the UN said Tuesday.
Tigray Crisis: Six Months On
Northern Ethiopia in the country’s Tigray region, displacing 2.2 million people. More than 60,000 people have fled the violence to seek refuge in neighbouring Sudan, many of whom are women and children. Plan International is working at the border areas in eastern Sudan to monitor and provide assistance to people crossing the border.
CHILDREN PAY HEAVIEST PRICE IN ETHIOPIA’S TIGRAY CONFLICT
“I never thought I would fall in love with earphones like this, but trust me, sometimes it is the best solution to escape from reality,”
“The Diary of Anne Frank is so relevant in different ways to what is happening to so many teenage girls in Tigray. The current situation has forced teenagers and young kids to stay at home, away from school,”