Inventing hell: how the Ethiopian and Eritrean regimes produced famine in Tigray

2021 ◽  
pp. 194277862110614
Author(s):  
Teklehaymanot G. Weldemichel

It has been a year since a devastating war broke out in the Tigray region, Northern Ethiopia, where hundreds of thousands of Tigrayan civilians are killed, millions internally displaced and tens of thousands have fled to seek refuge in neighboring Sudan. An alarming development linked to this war is the manmade famine in Tigray that now threatens the lives of the millions of civilians who survived the horrific atrocities during the war. This piece is an attempt to explain why millions of Tigrayans from all walks of life face famine and concludes that famine was from the start an end goal of the Ethiopian and Eritrean regimes and they employed different tactics to ensure that it unfolds the way it does now. Among others, the tactics include (1) the systematic looting and destruction of Tigray’s basic economic infrastructures, (2) implementation of different financial measures to deprive people in the region of access to cash, and imposition of a complete siege that hindered access to supplies including lifesaving humanitarian assistance.

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethelhem Legesse Debela ◽  
Gerald E. Shively ◽  
Stein T. Holden

AbstractFood-based transfer programs have the potential to change diets or alter basic crop mixes. This study empirically investigates the associations between participating in food-for-work (FFW) programs and the diversity of food consumption and production. Four waves of panel data from the Tigray Region of Northern Ethiopia, covering the period 2001–2010, are used to estimate a series of panel data regressions. A dose-response model is used to measure how the intensity of FFW participation aligns with dietary outcomes. Results show that FFW participants had greater household dietary diversity compared with non-participants, with an average magnitude equivalent to one-fifth of a standard deviation in the food variety score. When items directly provided by the FFW program are excluded from the variety score, the overall effect is statistically weaker, but similar in sign and magnitude, suggesting modest “crowding in” of dietary diversity from FFW participation. FFW participation was not correlated with changes in production diversity, suggesting that the labor demands of the program did not alter crop choice. Findings have relevance for interventions that aim to improve food security and promote dietary quality in low-income populations.


Refuge ◽  
1969 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff Crisp

 This article examines the way in which UNHCR has expanded its range of policy interests and operational activities since its establishment in 1951, focusing on the extension of the organization’s mission from refugees to groups such as asylum seekers, returnees, stateless popula­tions, internally displaced persons, and victims of natural disasters.The article identifies the different factors that have contributed to this expansionist process, examines its implications for UNHCR’s core mandate, and asks whether the process is an irreversible one.


2020 ◽  
Vol Volume 11 ◽  
pp. 157-171
Author(s):  
Amaha Kahsay ◽  
Hadush Gebregziabher ◽  
Znabu Hadush ◽  
Dejen Yemane ◽  
Abebe Hailemariam ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mulugeta Woldu Abrha ◽  
Kiros Demoz Ghebremedhin ◽  
Tesfay Teklemariam Weldeslasie

Abstract Background Religious institutions found at the community, not only uphold belief and cultural values but also as a force for positive change and development. Improved sanitation and hygiene is crucial in these institutions to decrease preventable infections due to unsanitary conditions. However, there are no studies among religious institution on availability of latrine. So this study was conducted to assess the latrine availability and associated factors among religious institution in Tigray Region, Ethiopia.Method Institution based cross – sectional study design was conducted in Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia. Multi-stage sampling was used to sample 385 religious institutions. Data was collected using pre tested, structured questionnaire and observation checklist. Logistic regression was fitted and odds ratio with 95% confidence interval (CI) with p-value less than 0.05 was used to determine the predictors of latrine availability. Analysis was carried out using SPSS 20 TM - software package.Results In this study latrine availability was 32.8%. And was significantly affected by currently saved money towards having a latrine (Adjusted Odds ratio (AOR): 0.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.25, 0.42]), any messages seen, heard or received on sanitation and hygiene (AOR: 0.43, 95% CI [0.38, 0.51]) and place where messages seen, heard, received (AOR: 2.95, 95% CI [1.11, 5.55]).Conclusion Availability of latrine was very low when compared to the national target of 100% among the religious institution and was affected by the currently saved money towards having a latrine, any messages seen, heard or received on sanitation and hygiene and place where the messages receive. Information regarding latrine availability should be provided to the community visiting religious institutions through available channels and practical models promotion.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Letebrhan Weldemhret

Abstract Background: Sputum smear microscopy remains the most cost-effective tool for tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment monitoring in resource constrained settings. Random blinded rechecking is a reliable tool to measure and improve smear microscopy. So, this study was intended to assess random blinded rechecking of AFB smear microscopy performance in selected private health facilities in Tigray region, Northern Ethiopia.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted from April 1st 2017 to May 30, 2017. The data was collected using standard data collection form. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 25 and the reading agreement was done using kappa statistics.Results: Of the total 269 blinded rechecked smears, 4.8% was found discrepant findings. The major and minor errors were reported by 2.6% (7/269) and 2.2% (6/269) respectively. Likewise, the major error was reported by 50% (5/10) of health facilities with microscopic center. Overall, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the blinded rechecking smears were 87.5%, 98%, 89.7% and 97.8%, respectively with substantial reading agreement, kappa value= 0.80.Conclusions: The overall performance of blinded rechecking was satisfactory with good smear reading agreement. But, the major error reported indicated unacceptable performance. To minimize the discrepancy, private health facilities with tuberculosis smear microscopic center should adhere to national tuberculosis guidelines.


2021 ◽  
pp. 13-32
Author(s):  
Omar Dewachi ◽  
Fouad Gehad Marei ◽  
Jonathan Whittall

This chapter outlines how the history of health care in Syria has shaped the way in which wartime health care has been delivered and controlled. The chapter analyzes the claim by humanitarian organizations to a form of neutrality in the Syrian war, which was ultimately incompatible with the way the Syrian state and the opposition saw aid delivery as part of the battle for statehood. It also mentions how service providers to areas controlled by the opposition were seen by the Syrian government as complicit in directly challenging the legitimacy of the state. The chapter looks at opposition groups that co-opted humanitarian assistance to enforce their own legitimacy to the population.


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