The Forgotten Voices: A Crisis of Leadership in Tigray

For 1,531 days, hundreds of thousands of Tigrayans have endured the agony of displacement, trapped in IDP camps that have become symbols of abandonment and betrayal. While rain floods their fragile shelters, disease spreads unchecked, and hunger tightens its grip, the leadership in Tigray appears disturbingly indifferent. Their fixation on power has overshadowed the cries of their people, leading to a humanitarian tragedy that exposes the idiocy and cruelty of their governance.

The suffering in these camps is beyond comprehension. Families live in conditions that defy human dignity—makeshift shelters offering no protection from the biting cold, malnutrition claiming the lives of children, and treatable diseases turning fatal in the absence of healthcare. These camps, meant to provide temporary refuge, now resemble prisons of despair. And yet, those in power, entrusted with the welfare of their people, remain preoccupied with securing their positions rather than addressing the plight of their citizens.

What makes this neglect even more infuriating is that it is deliberate. The Pretoria Agreement, which once promised peace and a glimmer of hope, has become a tool for political maneuvering. While leaders on all sides celebrate the deal as a diplomatic victory, it has done little to alleviate the suffering of the displaced. Instead of mobilizing resources to address the crisis, leaders have treated the agreement as a platform for their self-serving agendas. The suffering masses are reduced to pawns in a cruel game of political theater, their voices drowned out by the clamor for power.

This leadership failure is not just tragic; it is sadistic. The very people who claim to represent the Tigrayan cause have become complicit in their people’s suffering. They exploit the narrative of victim-hood

on the international stage while ignoring the basic needs of the displaced at home. Their priorities are clear: as long as they remain in power, the size of Tigray, the suffering of its people, and the promises of peace are secondary. This is not leadership—it is a betrayal of the very principles they claim to uphold.

Imagine a mother in an IDP camp who has spent 1,531 days waking up with nothing to feed her children. Picture a father who has lost everything, weeping silently as he watches his family crumble under the weight of hunger and disease. These are not isolated stories; they are the reality for hundreds of thousands. And yet, their leaders do not see them as people, only as numbers, useful for international sympathy but forgotten in practice.

The international community must also shoulder some of the blame for this catastrophe. Sporadic aid deliveries and unreliable emergency responses have left families trapped in limbo. While the world looks away, these people endure the unimaginable. The silence is deafening—silence from the leaders who should act, silence from global powers who could intervene, and silence from a world that seems to have moved on.

The suffering in Tigray is a direct consequence of a leadership that has lost its moral compass. These leaders, obsessed with their "chairs," have abandoned their people in pursuit of power. They may celebrate their political maneuvers and agreements, but history will remember them for their failures.

It is time for action. Humanitarian organizations, the international community, and even those complicit in the Pretoria Agreement must wake up to the reality on the ground. The displaced need consistent aid, not empty promises. They need leaders who will prioritize their survival and dignity over their own political ambitions.

To the leaders of Tigray: your people are watching, and history will judge you harshly. It is not too late to change course. Prioritize humanity over politics, and act before it is too late.

1,531 days is far too long. The people of Tigray deserve more than this betrayal—they deserve leaders who will fight for them, not against them. The world must step up, and the leadership must wake up.

#ይኣክል (We have suffered enough!)