Conflict Pushes More People To Flee Their Home In Tigray – ICRC

The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) says continuous conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray has displaced ‘tens of thousands’ of people in  Amhara and Afar regions.

The displaced, according to ICRC, are currently living in grave conditions after the shifting conflict forced them to flee their homes in search of safety.

Nicolas Von Arx, the head of delegation of ICRC in Ethiopia, in a press release on Tuesday, Sept. 7, said displaced people possess few belongings and sleep in overcrowded shelters, or out in the open, where they are exposed to the rainy season. 

Water, food, cash, fuel, and power are scarce, and those who are displaced rely on host communities, who often have few resources to spare, Arx said.

“It is heartbreaking to see the trauma people suffer after being uprooted from their homes. However, what worries me the most is that they must cope with growing insecurity.”

“We call on all sides to the conflict to spare civilians from the effects of fighting and to protect healthcare and other vital services.” 

According to Apollo Kinyokie Barasa, health coordinator for the ICRC, access to healthcare remains a primary humanitarian concern in the Northern Region in Ethiopia.

Following the recent fighting in the Amhara and Afar regions, he said, health facilities supported by the ICRC have been receiving an increasing number of wounded people in the past few weeks. 

“The situation has become increasingly difficult, with health structures overcrowded, medical supplies not adequate or lacking, and not enough human resources to take care of patients who need an immediate surgical intervention,” Apollo disclosed.

Working in close cooperation with the Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS), the ICRC has increased its presence in Amhara and Afar, delivering emergency supplies, improving shelter and sanitation for the displaced and helping health facilities deal with the influx of wounded and other conflict-related health needs. 

The ICRC continues the same programs in the Tigray region.

Since August, the ICRC has distributed aid materials to 102,600 people in Tigray, Amhara and Afar, provided food assistance to 18 hospitals and delivered medical supplies to 13 hospitals which are sufficient to treat over 2,000 wounded people.