Drought, failed crops,
and ongoing insecurity following a bloody conflict are causing a humanitarian
disaster in northern Ethiopia.
The BBC has obtained
unique access to some of the worst-affected districts in Tigray province and
has analyzed satellite imagery to illustrate the entire scope of the situation
the region is currently facing. Local officials have warned that more than two
million people are now at risk of hunger.
In order to capitalize
on the periodic rains, farmers must sow crops in July, making it a crucial
month for food security.
Based on the satellite
photos we have found, it appears that last year's failure of the rains caused
reservoirs and the farmlands they help irrigate to dry up. Farmers now have to
rely on seasonal rains to replenish them in order to have any chance of having
a productive season later in the year.
The photos below show
the Korir dam and reservoir, which is located roughly 45 kilometers (28 miles)
north of Mekele, the regional center.
The first image, taken
in June 2023, clearly shows a small lake with a man-made barrier called a
micro-dam. Fertile land watered by the reservoir is located beneath the dam.
More than 300 farmers
have been able to grow sorghum, a grain crop, as well as wheat and vegetables
thanks to systems like this one.
The lower image shows
the same area in June 2024, with the reservoir empty and parched fields.
Without adequate
rainfall, the irrigation system cannot operate and farmers are unable to
survive off the land.
“Even though our dam
has no water, our land will not go anywhere,” says Demtsu Gebremedhin who used
to farm tomatoes, onions and sorghum.
“So we don’t give up
and we hope we will go back to farming.”
Tigray’s population is
estimated to be between six and seven million.
Until the end of 2022,
the region was engulfed in a bitter two-year war pitting local Tigray forces
against the federal government and its allies.
It is estimated that
hundreds of thousands of people were killed in the conflict, or died because of
starvation and lack of health care.
Dozens of displacement
camps were set up to provide refuge, and humanitarian support.
Now the war is over,
some have been able to return home - but most have remained in camps, reliant
on food aid being delivered there because the lack of rainfall has meant they
have no crops to harvest and eat.
One of these camps is
near the town of Shire about 280km (174 miles) by road to the west of the Korir
dam. Set up by UN agencies, it now provides shelter to more than 30,000 people.
The blue tents seen in
this satellite image have been provided by the International Organization of
Migration (IOM) and the white by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
Tsibktey Teklay looks
after five of her children in the camp. Her husband was killed in the war.
“We had animals. We
used to harvest crops in winter,” she told the BBC in May. “In short, we had
the best lifestyle. Now we are down to nothing.”
She works as a cook and
a craftsperson in the camp to make ends meet, but some of her kids have had to
beg.
At the very least, I'm
hoping to reclaim my land. Food aid is inferior to food grown on our land, the
woman said.
After our terrible
existence here, I hope that our children's future will be better off back in
our hometown, where they can work or attend school.
The BBC has spoken to
doctors at a hospital in the town of Endabaguna, some 20km (12 miles) south of
Shire about their growing concerns.
“We’ve been treating
increasing numbers of children in recent months,” says the hospital’s medical
director, Dr Gebrekristos Gidey.
One woman - 20-year-old
Abeba Yeshalem - gave birth prematurely as a result of malnutrition, he says.
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