Hundreds of civilians reportedly killed during artillery strikes in Tigray

By Joanna Kedzierska

Hundreds of civilians reportedly killed during artillery strikes in Tigray

According to Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, many people are likely to have died as a result of artillery strikes targeting the Tigray region in Ethiopia which is experiencing ongoing military conflict. Unfortunately, the crisis is causing more casualties every day as the humanitarian situation in the region continues to deteriorate.

At the end of December 2020, the UN announced that fighting persisted in the northern, central, and southern parts of Tigray with artillery strikes affecting populated areas where mostly civilians were the targets. The UN also reported extrajudicial killings and looting.

According to UN officials, on 9 November in the town of Mai Kadra, many atrocities were committed against the Amharans people, the ethnic minority who live in Tigray. UN also received allegations of the mass murder of several hundred people committed by Tigrayan militia youth and local security forces.

Furthermore, hospitals in Ethiopia have been hit by the conflict with artillery fire reaching them during the two months of the ongoing conflict. According to the media, humanitarian aid workers have reported that parts of hospital buildings have been destroyed and they were in desperate need of supplies.

Aside from these incidents, the UN also reported major violations of international law within Tigray refugee camps. Its satellite recorded fires and destruction at the Shimelba and Hitsats camps which are inhabited by refugees from neighboring Eritrea. Many people fled from this country to escape political repression before the conflict in Tigray began. According to the satellite pictures, the camps were destroyed in the first week of January with aid agencies unable to reach them to prevent the destruction.

The latest report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) indicates that Tigray remains affected by sporadic fighting and humanitarian aid workers have limited or seriously hampered access to many parts of the region which prevents them from delivering assistance. In addition, communication with those living in the region has been practically cut off as mobile networks and the internet do not work, with only partial restoration of the telephone lines. This obviously makes the humanitarian situation worse because many people have not received any support for two and a half months and have therefore been without appropriate food and water supplies. Tigray is strongly dependent on imports that have been cut off since last November. In 2020 the region has also been impacted by problems with harvests due to drought and desert locusts, factors that all increase the risk of hunger.

See also | Conflict over Tigray prevents humanitarian aid being provided to people living in the region

Although conditions on the ground are highly unfavorable, aid workers were able to deliver support in areas that were not restricted by the authorities. However, OCHA indicates that the number of people in need is growing. While before the conflict, 950,000 Tigray inhabitants relied on humanitarian aid, the agency projects that an additional 1.3 million will need aid. The UN agencies are challenged not only by the bureaucratic obstacles created by local authorities, but they also have to face limited financial resources that are at their disposal. The updated Humanitarian Response Plan for Northern Ethiopia estimates that US$116.5 million is needed to provide urgent help to 2.3 million people including refugees. At present, a little less than $80 million has been donated by various partners which means that there is a nearly $40 million shortfall if the total budget required is reached by 31 January 2021.