Tigray Faces Ongoing Hunger and Destruction One Year After Aid Reductions

In Tigray, Ethiopia, the crisis has intensified, forcing communities to grapple with both profound grief and the stark reality of hunger. As the humanitarian landscape continues to deteriorate amid significant funding cuts, individuals like 88-year-old Nireayo Wubet must confront the grim prospect of burying loved ones without assurance of their own dignity in death. This unfolding tragedy draws attention to the urgent need for global solidarity and supportive interventions to alleviate the suffering of vulnerable populations.

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Tigray, Ethiopia – The struggle for survival in the Tigray region is now a daily reality for many, including 88-year-old Nireayo Wubet, who spends his days burying friends and family as hunger ravages his village. Wubet, emblematic of the frail yet resilient spirit of his community, laments, “We have little humanitarian support,” underscoring the critical humanitarian gap faced by countless families in Hitsats, near the Eritrean border.

Once a proud farmer from the once-thriving Humera area, Wubet became a refugee as conflicts and ethnic strife uprooted him from his land four years ago. Although the armed conflict in Tigray officially ended in 2022, he has yet to return home or reclaim his life. Consequently, he and others in Hitsats, heavily reliant on aid from organizations like the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), face unprecedented hunger levels.

However, the humanitarian landscape shifted dramatically following significant funding cuts initiated by the previous U.S. administration. As a result, nearly 80 percent of Tigray’s population now grapples with an urgent need for food and medical assistance. These cuts have not only diminished available resources but also impeded basic human rights, as observed by medical aid organizations, including Doctors Without Borders. They note that the repercussions of decreased funding have created severe gaps in healthcare, exacerbating already fragile conditions in regions like Tigray.

Lives in Hitsats are marked by ongoing loss and suffering, with many villagers suffering silently as hunger claims more lives. Terfuneh Welderufael, a 71-year-old resident displaced during the Tigray war, shares the somber reality: “It’s rare to find anyone who has not buried a loved one in the last year because of it.”

Faced with overwhelming need, local humanitarian operations remain limited. Many workers have gone unpaid for a year and share the same hardships as their neighbors. The closure of the World Food Programme (WFP) office in nearby Shire, a vital hub for displaced individuals, further compounds the crisis in Hitsats.

Efforts to provide grassroots support from local influencers have emerged, although the Ethiopian government has expressed concerns about unregulated fundraising activities, aiming to project a more favorable image of the nation. This disconnect between government narratives and local realities amplifies the ongoing humanitarian struggle.

Despite government assurances of self-sufficiency in wheat production and claims that no one is dying from hunger, hunger remains a critical challenge for over 10 million Ethiopians. As gaps in assistance widen, the need for comprehensive support remains dire. The Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission, tasked with disaster relief, disputes claims of starvation but acknowledges that large segments of the population are vulnerable and struggling.

Amid the encroaching crisis, Wubet’s fears resonate with many in Hitsats. With burial grounds evolving into a haunting reflection of the community’s plight, the urgent call for international support remains louder than ever—a collective demand for compassion and solidarity to revive spirits and restore hope in a region besieged by despair.

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