The Forgotten Voices: 1,528 Days of Agony in Tigray’s IDP Camp

For 1,528 days, tens of thousands of Tigrayans have lived in despair, confined to Internally Displaced Persons (DIP) camps that have become graveyards for hope and dignity. These camps, intended to offer temporary refuge, have instead become symbols of abandonment and neglect. The biting cold pierces through their makeshift shelters, leaving mothers clutching their children in a desperate attempt to shield them. Rainwater seeps through fragile roofs, turning their dwellings into muddy swamps, and floods destroy the little they have left. Disease spreads unchecked, hunger gnaws at their stomachs, and yet they endure—because they have no other choice.

The situation is grim beyond words. Emergency response, when it comes, is woefully insufficient and dangerously unpredictable. Aid that should be a lifeline arrives sporadically, leaving families in perpetual uncertainty. Food is scarce, leaving malnourished children to waste away. Healthcare is nonexistent, making treatable illnesses deadly. Clean water is a luxury. Parents helplessly watch their children suffer, unable to provide warmth, comfort, or security. The basic necessities of life—food, clothing, shelter—remain elusive, replaced by an overwhelming sense of despair.

Adding to their torment is the knowledge that their suffering is not an accident but a result of calculated political exploitation. The Pretoria Agreement, once hailed as a turning point for peace, has proven to be little more than a charade. For the displaced, it has brought no relief, only more uncertainty. To the actors who wield power, these innocent lives are not people but pawns—objects to be used and discarded in their endless games. The agreement has become a “piece of cake” to the genociders and a political shop for both sides, leaving those who need help most to bear the brunt of indifference and betrayal.

It is heartbreaking to witness such suffering. Picture a mother who wakes each morning knowing she has nothing to feed her child. Picture a child shivering through the night, their frail body no match for the cold. Imagine an elderly father silently weeping as he watches his family crumble under the weight of hunger and disease. These are not just statistics; they are human beings, people who once had homes, dreams, and dignity. Now, they are stripped of everything, reduced to survival in the harshest of conditions.

The unpredictability of emergency responses only deepens the anguish. Aid arrives late, if at all, leaving families to wonder if they have been forgotten. They are trapped in a limbo where every day feels like a lifetime, every moment a battle for survival. The rain falls, the cold bites, and the suffering continues, seemingly without end. These 1,528 days have not just stolen years from their lives but have robbed them of their hope, their dignity, and their trust in humanity.

What is most painful is the silence. The silence of those who should act but don’t. The silence of leaders who speak of peace but deliver nothing. The silence of a world that looks away. These people, who have endured so much, deserve more than this indifference. They deserve action, not words; compassion, not neglect.

It is time for a reckoning. The international community, humanitarian organizations, and those in power must recognize that sporadic, minimal, and unreliable aid is not enough. These families need consistent, coordinated efforts to provide food, clothing, shelter, and medical care. They need their humanity to be recognized and their suffering to end. And they need leaders who prioritize their lives over politics, their dignity over personal gain.

1,528 days is far too long. The pain of these people must not continue to be ignored. The rains may not stop, the cold may not relent, but we have the power to alleviate their suffering. We cannot bring back the years they have lost, but we can ensure that they lose no more.

To those who have suffered in silence, this is a promise: your voices are not forgotten. To those who can act, this is a demand: enough is enough. The world must rise to the occasion and end this injustice now.

#ይኣክል