Humanitarian Aid in Ethiopia Not Changing Lives Despite Military Truce: Catholic Bishop

“This devastating crisis is beyond all imagination, genocidal massacres of civilians, rape and gender-based violence, looting, fires, destruction of homes, places of worship, schools, health facilities,” Bishop Medhin says.

The 69-year-old Ethiopian Bishop who has been at the helm of the Eparchy of Adigrat since his Episcopal Ordination in January 2002 makes reference to the November 2021 UNOCHA report and says that about 1.7 million children in Tigray have been deprived of education within a span of two years.

He says that for the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) to have a safe return to their villages and to have a meaningful peace dialogue, the forces that have occupied the region need to be withdrawn.

The Local Ordinary of Adigrat decries the killing of 11 people on March 3 and expresses shock at the manner in which the people were killed.

“We are still shocked and horrified by the acts of brutal crimes in which eleven people were killed, including nine people from Tigray, who were burned alive on March 3, 2022 in the Benishangul-Gumuz region,” the Catholic Bishop says.

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He adds, “It is tragic and unacceptable to see mothers, children and adults dying every single minute because they are deprived of the right to life and the basic services given to them by God.” 

The Catholic Church leader says that the delay in intervention by the international community will lead to a pillage of human bodies in the region of Tigray who he says will be victims of “a preventable famine.”

He adds, “At this critical time we desperately call on the international community to take swift action to save millions of people in Tigray from death, before it reaches an irreversible level.”

In his message to Agenzia Fides, Bishop Medhin called for peace in the Tigray region, in the entire Horn of Africa country, and globally. He acknowledged with appreciation those who are on the forefront in advocating for peace.

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.