ETHIOPIA: Trauma in Tigray
The people of Ethiopia’s Tigray region “experienced hell” during two years of civil war, according to their bishop, who highlighted the trauma the community have endured.
In his first trip outside the country since the end of the conflict, Bishop Tesfaselassie Medhin of Adigrat told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that the people suffered gang rape, torture and mass killings.
Describing the 2020-22 civil war in the north-east of the country, the bishop said: “The people in Tigray have experienced hell: there were gang rapes and murders in front of families – even children and old women were among the victims.”
He added that “over one million people were killed” and “relief supplies were blocked”.
The war broke out when the Ethiopian army – with support from Eritrean troops –attacked regional paramilitary forces in Tigray.
The bishop said that about a third of his 50,000 mi2 (130,000 km2) eparchy (diocese) is still occupied and many roads are insecure, restricting freedom of movement.
He added that schools remain closed in the occupied regions, and more than 50,000 displaced people have been unable to return to their homes.
He said many people have continued to die because of the ongoing violence, food shortages and a lack of basic medical care.
The Ethiopian Catholic Church has offered trauma healing programmes to many of those who have been maimed or disabled in the fighting, as well as those struggling to live with the atrocities they have witnessed.
Bishop Medhin said a spiritual dimension is essential when helping people recover from the devastation and distress left in the wake of war.
He stressed: “Our trauma healing programmes are Bible-based…
“For example, we look at the suffering of Jesus on Good Friday, or we look at the Prodigal Son who – even if his suffering was his own fault – was traumatised at the end of his journey through isolation, rejection and the feeling of worthlessness.”
The bishop concluded: “ACN has always unhesitatingly stood at our side, but during the war we were deprived of the opportunity to communicate with the charity…
“In the face of the scale of destruction of human life, but also the fact that peace has still not completely returned to Tigray, all support is really valuable.”
With thanks to Sina Hartert