GTG

The UN Human Rights Office has spoken to witnesses who report that at around 9am local time on 18 June a group of armed individuals descended on the village of Tole, with a predominantly Amhara population, and reportedly began shooting randomly, leaving hundreds dead – most of them women and children – and forcing at least 2,000 others to flee from their homes. The armed individuals also reportedly burned down several houses during the four-hour assault.

“I am horrified by the senseless killing as well as the forced displacement of the local population in the attack on Tole village,” Bachelet said. “I call on the Ethiopian authorities to ensure that investigations are promptly launched into the attack and to ensure that victims and their families have a right to truth, justice and reparations, including by holding those responsible to account.”

An unspecified number of people are reported to have been abducted during the attack and their whereabouts remain unknown. “I call on the authorities to take all necessary and lawful measures to ensure those abducted regain their freedom,” the High Commissioner said.

Amid increasing tensions and violence which has erupted in various regions of Ethiopia in recent weeks, the High Commissioner urged the government to ensure and protect the right to life. 

In related news, the U.S. Department of State’s Spokesperson Ned Price released a statement regarding the Wolloga massacre. The statement says, “The United States is gravely concerned by reported killings of civilians in the Amhara community of the Oromia Region of Ethiopia [on 18 June 2022]. We mourn for the victims and extend our sincerest condolences to survivors and all those who lost loved ones in this horrific act. We also call on all Ethiopians to reject violence, and instead, pursue peaceful dialogue to resolve differences. National reconciliation must involve comprehensive, inclusive justice for victims and accountability for those responsible for human rights abuses and violations. Continued reports such as these underscore the urgency of ending the ongoing armed conflict in Ethiopia.”

During the 1980s, the humanitarian catastrophe in Ethiopia—arguably the worst of the 20th century—spurred a global response through benefit concerts and other charitable drives. Today, the country, and large swaths of the African continent, is again suffering from a deadly mix of regional conflicts, widespread displacement, and devastating droughts brought on by climate change. Global inflation and spiraling costs for food, transportation and the like are exacerbating hardship. The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Famine Early Warning Systems Network indicates that humanitarian assistance needs are being propelled to record levels—nearly 40% higher than recent years. 

“I have been involved with humanitarian aid efforts for decades, and yet the situation in Ethiopia surprised me—it is far worse than I expected. We must sound the alarm about the conditions there, and address them, now,” said Torbay. “It is not enough to keep people alive just to die another day; a more robust international response is needed to lift them out of extreme poverty and hunger, prevent more disease outbreaks, and avert a massive loss of life.” 

Project HOPE, a global health and humanitarian assistance organization, implements a range of relief programs, particularly in Northern Ethiopia, focused on improving reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health and combating the spread of HIV/AIDS and COVID-19. Notably, Project HOPE is increasing the number of mobile health and nutrition teams that it has deployed in remote communities far from care to provide essential drugs, vaccines, medical supplies, and Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF). 

However, the situation on the ground remains dire. Global supply chain disruptions are contributing to inflation and rising fuel and food prices undercut everyday activities, severely disrupting the lives of Ethiopians while compromising the work of humanitarian aid organizations like Project HOPE. For example, Torbay learned that many Ethiopian women have stopped taking their antiretroviral medications to treat HIV because they lack food with which to take them. 

Meanwhile, extreme shifts in weather patterns have yielded both heavy rains and sustained drought that have destroyed essential crops like corn and millet and resulted in extensive livestock losses. Some health facilities in Ethiopia, many of which lack equipment and supplies to provide basic health and nutrition services, have been damaged and looted because of the conflict. And security concerns related to the conflict have suspended some humanitarian efforts.  

An estimated 4.5 million people are now displaced. More than 1.23 million children under the age of 5 are severely malnourished while an additional three million are considered moderately malnourished. Malaria and vaccine-preventable diseases like mumps and measles are spreading, with increases in cases of cholera likely. Pregnant women and children are especially vulnerable, and women are subjected to increased health threats as well as sexual violence.  

“I understand that the crisis in Ukraine holds the international community’s attention, but Ethiopia is poised on the brink of collapse, and we cannot afford to let millions upon millions of people fall victim to drought, disease, and looming famine,” said Torbay. “We must use all available tools to alleviate the pressures bearing down on Ethiopia and save lives.” 

Although USAID’s recent commitment of $100 million is a critical lifeline to provide emergency relief to this crisis, we echo their words—it is not enough. The international community needs to increase financial contributions and economic relief to Ethiopia, and release reserves of gas, oils, and grains in the interest of forestalling further disaster. 

Project HOPE offered these recommendations for addressing food insecurity in Ethiopia: 

During the 1980s, the humanitarian catastrophe in Ethiopia—arguably the worst of the 20th century—spurred a global response through benefit concerts and other charitable drives. Today, the country, and large swaths of the African continent, is again suffering from a deadly mix of regional conflicts, widespread displacement, and devastating droughts brought on by climate change. Global inflation and spiraling costs for food, transportation and the like are exacerbating hardship. The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Famine Early Warning Systems Network indicates that humanitarian assistance needs are being propelled to record levels—nearly 40% higher than recent years. 

“I have been involved with humanitarian aid efforts for decades, and yet the situation in Ethiopia surprised me—it is far worse than I expected. We must sound the alarm about the conditions there, and address them, now,” said Torbay. “It is not enough to keep people alive just to die another day; a more robust international response is needed to lift them out of extreme poverty and hunger, prevent more disease outbreaks, and avert a massive loss of life.” 

Project HOPE, a global health and humanitarian assistance organization, implements a range of relief programs, particularly in Northern Ethiopia, focused on improving reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health and combating the spread of HIV/AIDS and COVID-19. Notably, Project HOPE is increasing the number of mobile health and nutrition teams that it has deployed in remote communities far from care to provide essential drugs, vaccines, medical supplies, and Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF). 

However, the situation on the ground remains dire. Global supply chain disruptions are contributing to inflation and rising fuel and food prices undercut everyday activities, severely disrupting the lives of Ethiopians while compromising the work of humanitarian aid organizations like Project HOPE. For example, Torbay learned that many Ethiopian women have stopped taking their antiretroviral medications to treat HIV because they lack food with which to take them. 

Meanwhile, extreme shifts in weather patterns have yielded both heavy rains and sustained drought that have destroyed essential crops like corn and millet and resulted in extensive livestock losses. Some health facilities in Ethiopia, many of which lack equipment and supplies to provide basic health and nutrition services, have been damaged and looted because of the conflict. And security concerns related to the conflict have suspended some humanitarian efforts.  

An estimated 4.5 million people are now displaced. More than 1.23 million children under the age of 5 are severely malnourished while an additional three million are considered moderately malnourished. Malaria and vaccine-preventable diseases like mumps and measles are spreading, with increases in cases of cholera likely. Pregnant women and children are especially vulnerable, and women are subjected to increased health threats as well as sexual violence.  

“I understand that the crisis in Ukraine holds the international community’s attention, but Ethiopia is poised on the brink of collapse, and we cannot afford to let millions upon millions of people fall victim to drought, disease, and looming famine,” said Torbay. “We must use all available tools to alleviate the pressures bearing down on Ethiopia and save lives.” 

Although USAID’s recent commitment of $100 million is a critical lifeline to provide emergency relief to this crisis, we echo their words—it is not enough. The international community needs to increase financial contributions and economic relief to Ethiopia, and release reserves of gas, oils, and grains in the interest of forestalling further disaster. 

During the 1980s, the humanitarian catastrophe in Ethiopia—arguably the worst of the 20th century—spurred a global response through benefit concerts and other charitable drives. Today, the country, and large swaths of the African continent, is again suffering from a deadly mix of regional conflicts, widespread displacement, and devastating droughts brought on by climate change. Global inflation and spiraling costs for food, transportation and the like are exacerbating hardship. The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Famine Early Warning Systems Network indicates that humanitarian assistance needs are being propelled to record levels—nearly 40% higher than recent years. 

“I have been involved with humanitarian aid efforts for decades, and yet the situation in Ethiopia surprised me—it is far worse than I expected. We must sound the alarm about the conditions there, and address them, now,” said Torbay. “It is not enough to keep people alive just to die another day; a more robust international response is needed to lift them out of extreme poverty and hunger, prevent more disease outbreaks, and avert a massive loss of life.” 

Project HOPE, a global health and humanitarian assistance organization, implements a range of relief programs, particularly in Northern Ethiopia, focused on improving reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health and combating the spread of HIV/AIDS and COVID-19. Notably, Project HOPE is increasing the number of mobile health and nutrition teams that it has deployed in remote communities far from care to provide essential drugs, vaccines, medical supplies, and Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF). 

However, the situation on the ground remains dire. Global supply chain disruptions are contributing to inflation and rising fuel and food prices undercut everyday activities, severely disrupting the lives of Ethiopians while compromising the work of humanitarian aid organizations like Project HOPE. For example, Torbay learned that many Ethiopian women have stopped taking their antiretroviral medications to treat HIV because they lack food with which to take them. 

Meanwhile, extreme shifts in weather patterns have yielded both heavy rains and sustained drought that have destroyed essential crops like corn and millet and resulted in extensive livestock losses. Some health facilities in Ethiopia, many of which lack equipment and supplies to provide basic health and nutrition services, have been damaged and looted because of the conflict. And security concerns related to the conflict have suspended some humanitarian efforts.  

An estimated 4.5 million people are now displaced. More than 1.23 million children under the age of 5 are severely malnourished while an additional three million are considered moderately malnourished. Malaria and vaccine-preventable diseases like mumps and measles are spreading, with increases in cases of cholera likely. Pregnant women and children are especially vulnerable, and women are subjected to increased health threats as well as sexual violence.  

“I understand that the crisis in Ukraine holds the international community’s attention, but Ethiopia is poised on the brink of collapse, and we cannot afford to let millions upon millions of people fall victim to drought, disease, and looming famine,” said Torbay. “We must use all available tools to alleviate the pressures bearing down on Ethiopia and save lives.” 

Although USAID’s recent commitment of $100 million is a critical lifeline to provide emergency relief to this crisis, we echo their words—it is not enough. The international community needs to increase financial contributions and economic relief to Ethiopia, and release reserves of gas, oils, and grains in the interest of forestalling further disaster. 

Project HOPE offered these recommendations for addressing food insecurity in Ethiopia: 

Project HOPE offered these recommendations for addressing food insecurity in Ethiopia: