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Northern Ethiopia: Our work in Tigray, Afar and Amhara

Displaced people have been relying on the generosity of host communities. This however is increasingly difficult for host communities to continue as they struggle from the economic impact of the violence. Alyona Synenko / ICRC

Increased violence and fighting in the northern part of Ethiopia, in and around the Tigray region, continues to severely impact the civilian population. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes looking for shelter and safety.

Since the beginning of the crisis, the ICRC, together with our partner the Ethiopia Red Cross Society (ERCS), has been helping people in northern Ethiopia — specifically Tigray, Amhara and Afar—to respond to their most basic needs.

Families are displaced and separated. Livelihoods are destroyed. The health care system remains under enormous strain. Many rely on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs. 

In Northern Ethiopia, ICRC is working to support facilities and essential services impacted by shortages in fuel, power and telecommunications, especially in the Tigray region. We are also responding to needs in Afar and Amhara, including support to families recently forced from their homes by the conflict. From January to September 2021, the ICRC and the ERCS have:

  • Delivered medical supplies to 77 health facilities and provided physiotherapy and mobility devices to nearly 1,700 people
  • Transported more than 127,000 patients by ambulance through 14 ERCS branches
  • Reconnected family members separated by conflict through more than 28,000 phone calls, SAT phone or tablet
  • Helped more than 96,000 people plant crops through seeds, fertilizer and cash and provided more than 120,000 people with household items
  • Delivered water to more than 27,000 people a day and donated chemicals to water plants that service 1.7 million people
  • Helped more than 15,700 people in more than 14 places of detention, including police stations, prisons and military camps
  • Distributed kitchen sets, blankets and other essentials to 230,000 people—most of them displaced from their homes — and provided cash assistance to more than 29,000 people

The ICRC and the ERCS remain committed to support all victims of conflict and violence regardless their origin, race, gender and faith across Ethiopia. The ICRC is also responding to humanitarian needs created by violence in other parts of the country such as Oromia, Benshangul-Gumuz, and Somali Regional State.