ADDIS ABABA — The humanitarian crisis deepening in Ethiopia’s Tigray region has claimed more than 1,300 lives due to starvation in displacement camps over the past three years, according to a local official speaking to international media on Monday.
The catastrophe is rooted in a brutal civil war that ravaged northern Ethiopia between 2020 and 2022, a conflict that, according to African Union estimates, cost the lives of at least 600,000 people. Today, approximately one million individuals remain stranded in displacement camps with dwindling access to food and basic necessities.
A regional official sounded the alarm over the worsening conditions, warning that aid from the federal government has been cut and that international non-governmental organizations have significantly scaled back their operations in the area. Among the hardest-hit camps is one sheltering a staggering 150,000 people alone.
Tensions between Addis Ababa and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) have reignited in recent months, with federal authorities accusing the party of forging ties with neighboring Eritrea, a development that has raised fears of a new regional war. Ethiopian and Tigrayan forces have reportedly clashed on multiple occasions since last November.
The situation has also drawn international concern. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has urged all parties involved to take immediate steps toward de-escalation before the window for diplomacy closes.
Humanitarian organizations and world leaders are being called upon to urgently restore aid flows to one of Africa’s most vulnerable populations before the death toll climbs further.
Source: Arab News / AFP, March 23, 2026
