Last week, USAID administrator Samantha Power tweeted that aid workers in Tigray would run out of food to distribute for the first time in nine months. The American diplomat lambasted the hindrances and obstructions keeping aid organizations from delivering life-saving aid into Tigray. Food stores and warehouses are now exhausted, with only a ‘trickle’ of aid convoys allowed into the region. “The flow of humanitarian assistance remains woefully insufficient,” read the statement by the USAID director.
Humanitarian organizations have repeatedly called for the Ethiopian Government to stop obstructing the delivery of aid into Tigray but to no avail. So far in August, only 320 trucks carrying aid and supplies have been allowed into Tigray, a mere 7% of the required assistance.
The statement by Samantha power read, “This shortage is not because food is unavailable, but because the Ethiopian Government is obstructing humanitarian aid and personnel, including land convoys and air access. The U.S. calls on the Ethiopian Government to immediately allow humanitarian assistance to swiftly move into Tigray in order to prevent a catastrophic stop to food assistance that millions need to survive.”
Repeated calls by international organizations and world leaders to end the blockade were not enough to entice the Ethiopian Government to heed the calls. Instead, PM Abiy Ahmed has persisted with the age-old tactics of using hunger as a weapon of war.
“People in Tigray are starving with up to 900,000 in famine conditions and more than five million in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.”
Despite the backdrop of famine, war, and sexual violence for the past nine months, Tigrayans are now relishing a rare respite by celebrating the annual Ashenda holiday. On Sunday, Tigrayans in Ethiopia and abroad kicked off Ashenda celebrations. Celebrated predominantly by the orthodox highland population of Tigray and some parts of the Amhara region, the holiday marks the end of a 16 day fasting period in the Coptic calendar, commemorating the resurrection of Saint Mary.
The celebrations are exclusively female. Women and girls across Tigray adorned in traditional Ashenda clothing, elaborate jewelry, and most famously Shuruba (hairstyle consisting of cornrows tightly braided to the head and hair spread out at the shoulders) roam from street to street singing and dancing. Traditionally, Ashenda girls cajole passersby into joining their fiesta, prompting generous donations from them and local establishments.
Many recall that last year’s Ashenda was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With huge crowds and gatherings the norm during Ashenda celebrations, the 2020 edition wasn’t viable. Many had said 2021 would bring the resumption of the popular holiday before the genocidal war waged on the people of Tigray.
As a result of the war, women and girls were targeted by invading forces and suffered immensely. Sexual violence, including rape, was rampant, with Eritrean and Ethiopian soldiers committing grave violations.
A recent Amnesty International report revealed the crimes committed, ‘I Don’t Know If They Realized I Was A Person’: Rape and Other Sexual Violence in the Conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia.
Across social media, Tigrayans dedicated this year’s Ashenda to those affected by the war waged on the people of Tigray. Many took to social media to acknowledge the victims of sexual violence while also celebrating the women and girls of Tigray for enduring and persevering through an unimaginably punishing 9 months war.
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