On the Brink: Tigray Faces Devastating Crisis, Urgent Action Needed!
The people of Tigray face a multitude of man-made catastrophes. Over two million remain displaced in refugee and IDP camps, despite the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement that pledged their safe return. This displacement, coupled with a Tigray-wide famine, has inflicted profound suffering on the Tigrayan population.
Compounding this hardship, Human Rights Watch reports ongoing rampant abuse in occupied Tigrayan territories, including mass expulsions, looting, rape, extrajudicial killings, and property destruction. Yet, perhaps even more insidious are the indirect attempts to destroy Tigrayans through the denial of basic necessities for survival.
Peasants, who form the majority of the population, grapple with a devastating famine while urgent measures to address the crisis remain absent. The plight of Tigrayan civil servants, owed years of back pay, is callously ignored by both the federal government and interim administration.
This discriminatory withholding of budget allocations constitutes culpable persecution through deprivation of essential means of survival. Consequently, thousands of Tigrayan teachers, doctors, and other professionals are fleeing Tigray, further crippling the already ailing social service sector. Schools and hospitals stand eerily empty, many destroyed by occupying forces and further plagued by a lack of personnel. Salsay Weyane Tigray believes this systematic dispossession is intentional, a policy designed to marginalize Tigray and its people.
Therefore, we urgently call upon all concerned bodies to respond to these multifaceted crises, which pose an existential threat to our people. Donors and humanitarian organizations must act swiftly to address the immediate needs of the Tigrayan population, while the international community must hold accountable those responsible for these ongoing human rights abuses.
Salsay Weyane Tigray
Mekelle, Tigray
January 15, 2024
