A Deep Dive Into the Famine In Tigray

Buried underneath all the headlines is one of if not the worst humanitarian disaster on the planet---the hunger crisis in Tigray, Ethiopia. The statistics are staggering, over 91% of the population is at risk of death due to starvation, thousands have perished since the supposed "peace agreement" was put into place, and 500,000 are projected to die in the next year if conditions continue this way. Some say it's worse than the infamous famine of 1984. But to really understand just how we got here we have to start from the beginning...

Before the genocidal war on Tigray was launched by Eritrean and Ethiopian forces, the region enjoyed relative economic prosperity, four universities were established, textile, cement and glass and bottle factories were opened, infrastructure had been laid, and life expectancy had risen drastically.

But unfortunately, all the while, there were forces at work that were already laying the foundation for the the deadly blockade on Tigray. In 2018 Fano militias and local residents began blocking the roads from the Amhara province to Tigray, and as a result the only entry way to Tigray was through the Afar region for a year and a half prior to the war. By fall of 2020 the siege became further entrenched, as it served to block the entry of food and other goods into the region.

But most consequentially the House of Federation ended the subsidy in the budget for Tigray's executive, and beyond that funds that came from a donor-funded safety net program were completely suspended.

But we can't forget the role that Eritrea played in the deliberate starvation of the Tigrayan people. Since the onset of the war, Eritrean forces proceeded to kill, destroy and loot livestock, cut down networks of fruit trees and burned crops. Systematically destroying the agriculture sector of Tigray's economy. As well as, of course, enforcing the blockade from their end.

I think an important question that is so often ignored is what could drive a person to do such things? And with the Eritreans it is worth analyzing where the hatred of Tigrayans comes from. And I think that all ties back to the nature of the regime thats long been in power in Eritrea---the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) headed by Isaias Afwerki. They have been impoverished, politically repressed and brutalized by this government and perhaps in part because of the border war of 1998 between Ethiopia and Eritrea that involved immense direct conflict with the Tigrayans in particular they have been indoctrinated to hate the people of Tigray and scapegoat the population for the troubles in their own society. And that coupled with the stark contrast between the pre-war economies helped cultivate a resentment like no other.

And with the Amharas it has much more to do with hegemony, power and who is presented as a threat to such power. Ethiopia has been, for all intents and purposes, an Amhara led empire, culturally and linguistically (as Amharic is the national language). And the fact that the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) had been ruling the country from 1991-2018 and created a federal system rather than a centralized one has proven to be the biggest threat to Amhara dominance. And the public in Tigray paid the heaviest price for that.

But the Tigrayan leadership, TPLF in particular, must accept some of the blame as well. Firstly, they have failed to see Ethiopia for what it is---a genocidal state. Their blindness about what Ethiopia is left the Tigrayan people wholly unprepared for the war, genocide and famine that would befall them. And also since this tragedy happened on their watch, it would only be decent and sensible of TPLF to let go of the reins of power and let the Tigray Interim Administration run the affairs. But they continue to become more power hungry and some of their leadership even began to steal aid meant for the public which is why the assistance is cut off in the Tigray region indefinitely, compounding the hunger crisis.

Okay, now, aside from all of the politics there is a drought that has ravaged the area for quite some time. The Horn of Africa on the whole has had five failed raining seasons since 2019. The UN's humanitarian response agency OCHA, the drought is worsening northern, southern and southeastern Ethiopia.

But overall this crisis, aside from the natural elements, was chiefly caused by Amhara elites in coordination with Eritrean forces, so it is no surprise that the Abiy Ahmed regime is outright denying that a famine even exists in Tigray and is refusing to do anything to mitigate it. This was and is a war of extermination on behalf of the Ethiopian project with weaponized starvation as their most effective tool.

So we cannot expect the Ethiopian state to save us. They never have and never will. Our only hope is the benevolence of the international community. Even though they have failed thus far, and institutions like the U.N have betrayed us time and time again we have no other option. We have to force them to see our humanity, that each person who dies from hunger or a preventable disease is not just a number but a beautiful human being with hopes and dreams and loved ones. Otherwise it will be a tragedy that goes beyond anything the world has ever seen.