Update on Tigray conflict in northern Ethiopia

*Multiple updates

Fighting in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region between the national defence forces and the Tigray’s People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has left over 2.3 million children in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, according to UNICEF. Thousands of people have fled the armed conflict and sought safety in neighbouring Sudan, and hundreds have lost their lives. SOS Children’s Villages operates a children’s village and family strengthening programme in Mekelle, the region’s capital city. A communication blackout and restricted access to the region has made it difficult to get information.

Sahlemariam Abebe, the national director for SOS Children’s Villages Ethiopia gives an update on the situation.

How is the situation on the ground near our SOS programs?

As you may anticipate, there is no communication with the Tigray Region since the onset of the armed conflict. Hence, it is very difficult to tell what the situation on the ground looks like. But, in a relay communication that I made with the location program director through the UN system about a week ago, I came to learn that Mekelle and its vicinity were safe. Back then, the operation was taking place mainly around the boarder of Tigray. We now hear from national media outlets that the operation is progressing in the direction of Mekelle from one side. I don’t exactly know how this is going to affect the SOS Children’s Village in Mekelle.

What is SOS Ethiopia planning to do next to get in touch with SOS staff, children and families affected by the fighting?

The Director of UNOCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) was so kind to allow us to use their system to exchange messages with our colleagues on the ground. We were also informed by the programme director that, after lengthy negotiations with both the regional and federal governments, an agreement has been reached for international NGOs operating in Tigray to use the VSAT of the Ministry of Agriculture to communicate with their counterparts in Addis. I have made mention of this opportunity to the location program director in the message that I sent him the day before yesterday (November 18). I haven’t heard back from him so far.

How many kilometres is the fighting from the SOS Village in Mekelle?

According to government sources, the fight is taking place in different fronts. While some of the fronts are very far from Mekelle (could be up to 180 kilometres), the other front is as near as 47 kilometres from Mekelle.

What kind of help is SOS Ethiopia able to send the children and families in the Children’s Village and in the Family Strengthening Program to ensure their safety?

So far, we haven’t been able to send our help to families in both program units. This is mainly because of lack of access to the Tigray Region. Even the UN is still negotiating with both governments (federal and regional) for access. We might probably negotiate with the UN further to help us reach these families when they gain entry.

What are your options moving forward should the situation escalate?

Should the situation be escalated and put a direct impact on SOS families, we will opt to evacuate them. We have already received a green light in this regard from UNOCHA.

*Update, Nov 27th, 2020

The most recent correspondence from our program in Mekelle noted that children, youth and staff at SOS Children’s Village Mekelle are safe and receiving psychological support to help cope with the evolving situation. 

Emergency preparedness procedures and protocols are in place, and SOS Children’s Villages is currently assessing the possibility of evacuating children, mothers and staff from Mekelle. Discussions and coordination with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) regarding this are ongoing.  

“Some 500,000 people live in Mekelle. We are deeply concerned that the threat of a further escalation in the fighting would put their well-being at immediate risk. I am also concerned that, without sustained humanitarian access, many more children and families will be at risk as food items and treatment supplies in the region may not last for long,” says Mr. Abebe.

*Update, Dec. 8, 2020

The last week has seen some improvements and the situation is normalizing in the Tigray Regional State. Local media reports indicate that the government is working on re-constructing the major power and telecommunications lines as well as re-establishing financial and transportations services. The government is also communicating with UN and development agencies to facilitate access and begin humanitarian assistance prioritizing most affected areas.

SOS Children’s Villages Ethiopia continues to communicate and work on ways of ensuring the safety and protection of the children, co-workers and care providers as well as partners in the communities. The national director uses UNOCHA and UNICEF communications lines to exchange messages with the SOS Children’s Village in Mekelle. According to the last communication with the Mekelle location director over a week ago, all the families and staff members in the village are safe and protected. At the same time, based on the information received that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is granted humanitarian access to the region, SOS Children’s Villages is consulting with them to explore ways of utilizing their access to reach our village. The national director, Mr. Sahlemariam Abebe said, “We are discussing with the ICRC on how they can help to deliver support to the families including food and sanitation materials as well as psychosocial and protection support.”  If the plan succeeds, ICRC would check on the families at the Village and provide the support until access is fully restored.

*Update, Dec. 16, 2020

Children and staff at our SOS Children’s Village in Mekelle, Ethiopia are all doing well in the aftermath of the Ethiopian government’s military operation in the country’s Tigray State. With communications lines down, it took more than two weeks after the fighting ended in Mekelle for Mr Sahlemariam Abebe, national director of SOS Children’s Villages Ethiopia, to speak directly to the village’s programme director, Nigus Hailu.

“SOS Children’s Village Mekelle’s families, young people, and staff are all safe,” says Mr Sahlemariam adding, “None of our properties were damaged. Nigus also stated that the emergency stockpile kept in the village as a response for a potential COVID-related lockdown greatly helped during this period of crisis. Nigus also indicated that the stock may run out soon and asked for restocking of the supplies.”

Mr. Sahlemariam is working with the government to send food items, water and medicine directly to the children’s village in Mekelle, the capital of Tigray State.

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