Mr. Abiy, the current prime minister of Ethiopia, postponed Ethiopia’s national election in June because of the coronavirus. Now that cases are slowing down, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or the opposing party, are challenging the prime minister and declaring that he doesn’t hold power anymore. The TPLF hold power in the Tigray region. Mr. Abiy's administration has sent the military to the Tigray region, which has killed thousands and left a town “covered with corpses.” The main reason behind this is the government’s attempt to silence TPLF supporters. The effect of this fighting during a pandemic is catastrophic. Overwhelmed hospitals were just the beginning.
This fighting has resulted in a refugee crisis. 33,000 have already crossed into Sudan and 200,000 more are expected to arrive in the next six months. Many transit centers and refugee villages are overcrowded, which is extremely dangerous during a pandemic. The World Food Programme currently has food for 60,000 people, which is less than the expected number of refugees. The European Commision has mobilized almost 5 million dollars in aid for this humanitarian crisis. However, this is only the beginning, as this fighting is quite recent, which means more and more Ethiopians from the Tigray Region will try to cross the border into Sudan as the fighting worsens.
3 comments:
It is evident that the ongoing pandemic is affecting all aspects of life globally, and it is not too shocking to see other abuses of governmental power result from the uncertainties caused by the virus. It is tragic to see the violence as a means of controlling the angered Tigray communities, especially during the pandemic, where they inequities are only exacerbated. The threat posed by the refugee crisis which has already displaced so many Sudanese is definitely frightening and hopefully the resources will not run out. However, if the violent outbreaks continue to occur, more international attention, either from the UN or other non governmental organizations will be necessary in mitigating this crisis.
It's devastating to know that such tragedies go on in the world. It's even more sad to think that if I hadn't read this blog post, I'd likely never know about this. The lack of regard for human life in is concerning, as well as the lack of awareness brought to such issues. Especially during a global pandemic, it's heartbreaking to hear that Ethiopian Prime Minister would rather massacre thousands, then simply leave office. I hope all who try to escape make it out safely, and that the countries taking them in find the means necessary to care for all of them. Like Rosella explained, if more fighting breaks out, international organizations will have to step in to mitigate the crisis, but I hope it doesn't get so bad to the point where this has to happen.
There are so many tragic issues going on in the world today, but because of the coronavirus, there are millions of people unaware of these problems. Everyone is so focused on themselves that it is hard to become aware of other countries' problems. During the presidential election, I was so focused on who was going to win the election so other issues such as wars in other countries didn’t even cross my mind. As seen, when in power, people tend to get greedy and start abusing their power. The coronavirus has affected everyone tremendously, and the fact that the Prime Minister of Ethiopia is willing to kill thousands of people just to stay in power is truly disturbing. If the issue in Ethiopia continues to worsen, international organizations will definitely need to step in and end this horrible situation.
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