Refugees International Statement on Airstrike on IDP Camp in Tigray

By Sarah Miller | January 9, 2022

Please see below statement from Refugees International Senior Fellow Sarah Miller:

“Refugees International is deeply saddened by the loss of life during a recent airstrike on a camp for internally displaced people in Tigray. Aid workers say that 56 people were killed and 30 were injured, including children. This comes days after three Eritrean refugees were killed, two of whom were children, in the Mai Aini refugee camp.

Refugees and internally displaced people should never be targeted during conflict, and at minimum, must be able to seek safety elsewhere. Some 2 million have been displaced inside Ethiopia, and tens of thousands have fled to neighboring states. These strikes demonstrate that they are not safe in Tigray or many other parts of Ethiopia, and the government of Ethiopia has a duty under international law to ensure their safety and access to assistance.

The conflict, now in its second year, has taken thousands of lives, and continues a downward spiral of suffering as much of Tigray is forced into famine with a blockade of almost all aid, including food and medicine. As of January 7, 2022, a mere 1,338 of the required 17,600 trucks needed to provide humanitarian supplies have entered Tigray. Famine deaths are mounting: a minimum of 425 hunger deaths per day, and a “conservative maximum” of 1,201 deaths per day.

Refugees International calls on all parties to the conflict to respect international law by not targeting civilians and allowing aid to access all parts of Ethiopia, including Tigray, immediately.”

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Refugees International Director of Communications Sarah Sheffer at ssheffer@refugeesinternational.org.

PHOTO CAPTION: A view of Mai Aini Refugee camp in Ethiopia from January 30, 2021. (Photo by EDUARDO SOTERAS / AFP via Getty Images)