By Berhane G. Gebreslassie (PhD)
The situation of the people of Tigray in general and Western Tigray in particular represent one of the most severe and prolonged humanitarian crises in the Horn of Africa today. For nearly six years since the outbreak of war in Tigray, large segments of the Western Tigray population have endured forced displacement, loss of property, breakdown of essential services, and persistent insecurity. Entire communities have been uprooted from their homes and livelihoods, creating a deep humanitarian emergency that continues to evolve.
Today, thousands of families from Western Tigray are scattered across different zones of Tigray—including the North Western, Central, and Eastern zones, as well as Mekelle City—and across the border in Sudan. This widespread displacement has created not only an urgent humanitarian crisis but also long-term social and economic disruption affecting the broader region.
The people of Western Tigray are currently facing extreme deprivation. Displaced families consistently report a lack of adequate access to food, clean water, shelter, clothing, and essential healthcare services. Many have survived for years through irregular humanitarian assistance, fragile support from host communities, and limited informal coping mechanisms.
What began as an emergency has now become a prolonged humanitarian crisis. Children have lost access to stable education, exposing them to long-term developmental challenges. Malnutrition risks remain high, while psychological trauma is widespread among both children and adults. Elderly people, women-headed households, and persons with disabilities face the most severe hardships due to limited protection and support systems.
One of the most painful realities of this crisis is the wide dispersion of displaced communities. Families originally from Western Tigray are now living in North Western, Central, and Eastern zones of Tigray, as well as Mekelle City and refugee settings in Sudan. This dispersion has separated families, weakened traditional social structures, and made coordinated humanitarian response more difficult.
Host communities, despite their solidarity and limited resources, continue to carry significant pressure as they share already scarce food, housing, and public services.
Many displaced communities have expressed concern that humanitarian needs are not receiving sufficient and sustained attention due to competing political priorities among key actors. While political dynamics remain complex, the urgent needs of civilians—food, shelter, safety, and dignity—must remain central and non-negotiable.
International humanitarian law and human rights principles clearly emphasize that civilians must not be deprived of essential services or used as instruments in political processes. The crisis requires a strictly humanitarian approach that prioritizes human survival and dignity above all other considerations.
A durable resolution to the crisis requires full and genuine implementation of the Pretoria Peace Agreement. The international community should play a stronger role in ensuring that all signatory parties uphold their commitments, particularly those related to civilian protection, rehabilitation, and return of displaced populations.
A key priority must be the establishment of stable governance and the removal of all irregular armed actors operating in civilian areas of Western Tigray. The presence of armed groups outside formal state security structures continues to undermine civilian safety and delays the conditions necessary for voluntary, safe, and dignified return.
The international community—including the United Nations, African Union, European Union, and the United States—should increase diplomatic and monitoring pressure on the implementing parties to:
- Fully implement the terms of the Pretoria Agreement
- Ensure withdrawal of irregular armed actors from civilian areas
- Restore lawful civilian administration and public services
- Guarantee the protection and rights of displaced populations
- Create secure conditions for voluntary return
In addition, there is a need to establish internationally supported safe return and protection zones, where displaced populations can return under guaranteed security, humanitarian access, and basic service provision. These zones would serve as transitional mechanisms to rebuild trust, restore stability, and enable long-term recovery.
The most urgent demand of displaced communities from Western Tigray is the restoration of safety, dignity, and the right to return to their original homes. However, sustainable return requires more than physical movement back to places of origin.
Durable solutions must include:
- Restoration of basic services such as health, education, water, and housing
- Rehabilitation of destroyed infrastructure
- Protection of property and personal rights
- Psychosocial support for trauma recovery
- Livelihood restoration and economic reintegration
- Community reconciliation and social healing
Without these conditions, displacement risks becoming long-term or even permanent, deepening suffering across generations.
The scale and duration of this crisis require sustained international engagement. Organizations such as the United Nations agencies, the African Union, the European Union, and the United States have an essential role to play.
Their support is particularly needed in:
- Humanitarian Relief: Expanding food, shelter, water, and medical assistance.
- Protection of Civilians: Monitoring and reporting human rights conditions.
- Peace Agreement Enforcement: Ensuring compliance with the Pretoria Peace Agreement.
- Facilitating Safe Return: Supporting structured, monitored, and voluntary return processes.
- Reconstruction Support: Assisting in rebuilding homes and public infrastructure.
Sustained international attention is critical, as protracted crises often lose visibility over time despite continued human suffering.
At its core, the crisis facing the people of Western Tigray is a human tragedy. Families who once lived stable lives as farmers, teachers, traders, and civil servants have been displaced for years. Children are growing up without stable education or a sense of home. Elders are aging in displacement, far from their ancestral communities.
The continuation of this situation without meaningful resolution risks deepening long-term trauma and weakening the social fabric of the entire region.
The people of Western Tigray continue to endure one of the most prolonged and severe humanitarian crises in the region. Their displacement, deprivation, and uncertainty demand urgent and sustained attention from both national authorities and the international community.
A lasting solution must prioritize the safe, voluntary, and dignified return of displaced populations, alongside comprehensive reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts. Above all, it must affirm a simple but essential principle: the protection and dignity of civilians must always come first.
The world must not remain silent.
About the Author
Dr Berhane Gerencheal Gebreslassie is an Assistant Professor of English Language Teaching and Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Languages at Aksum University. He holds a PhD in English Language Teaching from KIIT University, India, and has served in several academic leadership positions. His research focuses on language education, educational inequalities, educational technology, and human rights in education. Since 2020, Dr. Berhane has actively conducted research and advocacy on the humanitarian situation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Western Tigray, with particular attention to human rights, displacement, and linguistic discrimination. He is also an active member of TSILAL, contributing to research and advocacy on issues affecting communities in Western Tigray.
