Borkena
Toronto – Dozens of displaced people in the Tigray region of Ethiopia sheltered in Hitsats reportedly died of famine and other medical conditions. The camp is located in the North Western Tigray Asgede locality.
IDPs from the camp who spoke to BBC Amharic are cited as saying that children, women and elderly are among those affected by the situation.
According to Tigray TV, regional state media, 50 IDPs died as of July this year. Other news sources put the number of IDPs who died this year due to starvation and/or disease to 300 but the number was not independently verified.
Neither state owned TV or other sources did report about it until this week. The level of starvation IDPs experienced at the camp is unprecedented.
“Everyone is starving here…the problem is there is no food,” an elderly woman reportedly told BBC Tigrigna service in a way depicting the situation in the camp.
A shocking video footage of a starving woman circulating on social media over the past few days has been a talking point with some pointing fingers at the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) while others blame the Federal government for failure.
Chronic shortage of water is also reported. The condition of displaced people living in the camp is said to be worsening.
Activists launched fundraising efforts to support those in the camp facing famine.
More than 16,000 displaced people in the camp are reported to be in a dangerous situation at the camp as they are not receiving food aid.
IDPs were getting about 15 kilograms of sorghum a month. The quality is so poor that the residents could not consume it.
Tigray regional Interim administration on Monday held a meeting to discuss ways of reversing the famine situation in Hitsats.
Ethiopia’s Disaster Risk Management Commission has responded to the situation.
In a statement it released on Wednesday, which BBC Amharic published, it said that IDPs in the Hitsats temporary shelter have been provided with “humanitarian food assistance on a priority basis.
The commission disputes that the video footage circulating on social media with claims that no food aid was delivered to the camp is incorrect.
Tadesse Worede, president of the Interim administration, reportedly said that he is saddened by the video footage he saw. He added that the situation of displaced people in other IDPs camps is not different, as reported by Tigray TV.
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This is happening where people are dying due to the lack of food while Debre and his entourage are suffering from eating too much and indigestion. They are busy shoe Shang the stinking boots of Al-Toweel Isu in Piccola Roma. I’m holding every faction in that region along with officials of the Federal Government responsible for this avoidable calamity. Meanwhile, I call upon our dear editors of this esteemed website to use every means they can muster to verify this tragic story for all of us readers. We would appreciate it very much. We all remember what was going on in the early 1980’s.
Make that: They are busy shoe shinning the stinking boots of Al-Toweel Isu in Piccola Roma.