Tigray. The Catholic Church denounces the serious humanitarian situation created by Premier Abyi.

The Catholic Diocese of Adigrat, which has always been committed to humanitarian assistance and development cooperation in Ethiopia, condemns the current situation in Tigray and Premier Abiy’s use of humanitarian aid as a weapon of war. The Ethiopian Catholic Church invites NGOs and international donors to take clear positions in this regard, recalling that in the case of Tigray, the alleged humanitarian neutrality runs the risk of turning into complicity with the Addis Ababa government.

The humanitarian situation in Tigray remains alarming despite the declaration of a ceasefire by Addis Ababa central government. 5.5 million people are in severe acute food insecurity including 353 000 people in Phase 5 (risk of starvation). IDPs amount to 2.1 million people. Most of the health infrastructure has been destroy and there is a severe shortage of basic and save-live drugs.

Agriculture, the main source of food and sustenance for over 80% of the Tigray population, has been systematically destroyed by federal and Eritrean troops, resulting in a deliberately man-made famine. The water and electricity services have been block. The region is isolated from the rest of the world by a decision of the Addis Ababa government, which continues to effectively block the flow of humanitarian supplies into Tigray.

Humanitarian operations are limited by the absence of fuel, banking, telecommunications and electricity. Additional personnel, supplies and restoration of basic services are urgently needed for the continuity of humanitarian operations. Northern Ethiopia’s Humanitarian Response Plan is facing a significant funding gap of $ 433 million through the end of the year.

This is the situation illustrated by Relief Web, the humanitarian information service offered by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Interventions: OCHA. A report that underlines the political intention of the Addis Ababa government to isolate Tigray, turning humanitarian aid into a weapon of war.

Yesterday, the Ethiopian government once again reassured the United Nations of its willingness to work together to ensure humanitarian assistance in Tigray. Insurance provided during an interview between the Ethiopian Premier and the UN Secretary General Antonio Gutiérrez on the Tigray emergency.

This umpteenth reassurance is part of the double language strategy adopted by the Ethiopian authorities under the control of the nationalist Amhara leadership. In reality, the boycott of humanitarian assistance in Tigray continues.

Four days ago, 9 World Food Program trucks that were on their way to distribute humanitarian aid to Mekelle were stopped by Ethiopian federal troops and forced to return to the Amhara region where they had left. Only after intense negotiations with the United Nations on 9 July did the Ethiopian authorities allow the WFP humanitarian convoy to continue its journey and bring food aid to its destination.

The boycott of humanitarian assistance by Addis Ababa is so strong that it has forced the French NGO Doctors Without Borders to suspend its activities in Tigray as there is a lack of the minimum conditions that would allow humanitarian workers to work independently and effectively. MSF was the victim of a brutal extra-judicial execution of three of its volunteers on 24 June: two Ethiopians and a Spanish volunteer.

Faced with the perseverance on the part of the nationalist Amhara leadership to prevent humanitarian aid in Tigray, the United Nations is studying the possibility of providing food aid by parachuting it from airplanes. However, it is necessary to obtain authorization from Addis Ababa to fly over Ethiopian airspace. Authorization not granted until now.

The Tigray Defense Forces are studying the possibility of launching a military offensive against the Tigray-Sudan border areas still occupied by the federal army and the Amhara paramilitary militias. The goal is to create a humanitarian corridor between Sudan and Tigray. Hypothesis also taken into consideration by the United Nations which opened a dialogue on the subject with the Sudanese authorities in Khartoum.

In an attempt to unblock this boycott by the federal government, the Catholic Church of Adigrat launches an appeal with the intention of encouraging NGOs and international donors to actively involve and denounce those who are preventing assistance humanitarian aid to 7 million Ethiopian citizens. Moreover the Adigrat Catholic Church is pressing the federal government to remove the obstacles and to recognize Tigray legitimate government (TPLF) as the official interlocutor for both emergency humanitarian aid and post-conflict development and reconstruction projects.

Below I report the open letter from the Catholic Diocese of Adigrat addressed to all NGOs and international Donors, signed on 5 July 2021 by the diocesan director: Abbot Abraha Hagos.

Open letter to all partners and funding bodies on the humanitarian situation in Tigray.