Late September fighters of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front seized three airports in Ethiopia and attacked positions in the neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions. In response, the Ethiopian government army entered Mekelle, the capital of the northern province of Tigray. The city fell after days of heavy fighting. The conflict has spread rapidly across northern Ethiopia. Explosions were also heard in the capital, Addis Ababa. The renewed conflict comes after a period of increased tensions and shatters a fragile 2022 peace agreement.
These developments have direct implications for civilians, who are forced to flee the violence and are facing injuries. MSF reported a surge in hospital visits in the first days of the upflaring of the violence and is upscaling its medical activities in the region. Other humanitarian actors are also returning or extending their activities. This session will offer a situational update, as well as updates from different humanitarian organisations on their activities in Tigray and neighbouring regions.
The first speaker will reflect on the use of a human rights-based approach to address internal displacement challenges in Ethiopia. The second speaker will explore the current humanitarian safety and access landscape in Ethiopia, looking at key conflict and security trends and how they are affecting humanitarian presence, as well as presenting three potential conflict scenarios. The third speaker will address how and where humanitarian assistance is being provided and challenged in neighbouring regions. They will also speak about current humanitarian needs. There will be ample time for participants to engage with the speakers, pose questions and express concerns.
- Alex (Alemayehu Begna) Hordofa, PhD candidate, Humanitarian Studies Centre, International Institute of Social Studies
- Ben Hunter, Regional Analyst in East Africa, INSO
- Smuel M Zewdu, Programme Manager Sustainable Agrifood System and Humanitarian Assistance, Cordaid Ethiopia
The session will be moderated by Nahomi Shenkute, researcher and youth representative, and project officer, the Humanity Hub
Please register via this webform
– Picture Stichting Vluchteling –
