Since September, 2020 the Trigray region of Ethiopia is facing famine, violence and exodus caused due to tussle between the Ethiopian federal government and the regional ruling party. In November, 2020 the officials of Tigray reported to Reuters that around 2.2 million Tigray people had fled to neighbouring countries. This report to Reuter was countered by the Ethiopia’s federal National Disaster Risk Management Commission.
On June 10, 2021 the United Nation’s emergency relief coordinator Mark Lowcock opined that Tigray is now facing widespread famine. The term “famine” was first used in a report on Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis update, which uses a standardised scale initially developed by the UN, incorporating “food security, nutrition, and livelihood data into a report about the nature and harshness of a crisis”.
According to the IPC analysis, famine situations in Tigray are in phase 5, whichstarts with a catastrophe warning and rises to a declaration of famine in a region. Furthermore, around 3.5 lacs people out of Tigray’s 6 lacs population are undergoing famine. This was the result of numerous factors ingrained in the ongoing military conflict. The Eritreanfederal forces who combined the conflict in support of Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The 2019 Nobel Peace Laureate have been accused of demolishing property and burning crops.
In a meetingwith Reuters, Mr. Mark opined that, “Eritrean forces were trying to deal with the Tigrayan population by starving them”, blocking supplies to over a million people. Thus, in this context it can be evidently observed that food is used as a weapon of war in African states. In such context, the Ethiopian Government have categorically denied such feats.
In 2018, the UNSC Resolution 2417 was passed on ending armed conflict and hunger in the African countries. But no steps were taken after such resolution. Even the UNSC is yet to hold a public session on the current crisis. Thus, what will happen only time will tell, Will the UNSC intervene? Will the Government concede to regional party? these are not known. Anything observed by me beyond the facts will be nothing but figment of imagination. So, on this note I will end this article. The author works as a Ph.D. Research Scholar at the Department of Anthropology, University of Calcutta, and the co-author of the book Anthropology For All (2021).