Severe Food Shortages Affecting 10,000 People in North Wollo

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Approximately 10,000 people, including children under the age of five, have been impacted by a severe food shortage in the Bugna Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, according to local authorities.

image source:  WFP/Sinisa Marolt

Cause of the Crisis

The district is grappling with both drought and food shortages, exacerbated by ongoing conflict and natural disasters. Ato Gebre Meskel Alemu, head of the Bugna Wollo Health Office, explained to the BBC that the region has suffered from these challenges for over a year. The conflict in Amhara has disrupted agricultural production, leaving many families unable to adequately nourish their children. Additionally, aid agencies have been unable to reach the area, worsening the situation.

Personal Accounts of Suffering

Ms. Kaba, a resident of Birko Kebele, shared her distress over the impact of food shortages on her one-year-old and three-month-old twins. "What can we do to help them? We have been supporting them as best we can. But since the new year, there is nothing. It has become a mess," she said, expressing the immense challenges she faces in feeding her children.

Local health officials report that many mothers visiting health centers are facing malnutrition themselves due to insufficient food supplies, further exacerbating the crisis.

Ato Desalew, another resident, described how his fields were damaged by hail, and both his wife and 10-month-old twins were admitted to the health center due to the food shortage. "The mother has nothing to eat, and the children have nothing to breastfeed," he said, describing the severe difficulties his family is enduring.

Ongoing Instability and Disrupted Aid

The situation has been compounded by the district's prolonged instability, with the Fano forces having controlled the area for over a year. Aid organizations have struggled to provide the necessary resources, including food and medicine. Ato Mekonnen Ashagre, head of the Aina Health Center, noted that the lack of nutrition programs since the beginning of the new fiscal year has deepened the crisis.

Acute Malnutrition and Health Concerns

Health officials have warned that the district is facing an acute malnutrition crisis, with pregnant women and children experiencing complex malnutrition due to disrupted food and medicine supplies. A study conducted across 16 Kebeles in the district revealed alarming figures, with 65% of children aged six months to five years suffering from severe malnutrition, and 84% of mothers affected by malnutrition.

At least four children died from malnutrition in November at the Birko Health Center, which serves three Kebeles. While the exact number of deaths cannot be confirmed, local health authorities have expressed concern that the situation is dire and will worsen if aid does not reach the area immediately.

Urgent Call for Intervention

Ato Gebre Meskel Alemu, the head of the Health Office, warned that without urgent intervention from donors, many lives could be lost. While two vehicles carrying nutritious food and medicine arrived in Bugna on December 8, 2024, there are fears that the supplies may not last long enough to meet the district's needs. If the crisis persists, local health experts believe that the situation will continue to deteriorate.

A Familiar Crisis: The Tigray Conflict’s Legacy

This ongoing tragedy in the Amhara region echoes the devastation caused by the Tigray conflict, where similar food shortages and displacement have claimed the lives of thousands. The toll of conflict and disaster continues to disrupt the lives of many in Ethiopia, leaving entire communities grappling with famine and disease.

The Uncertainty of the Future

As the humanitarian situation worsens, one must ask: when will this crisis in Ethiopia come to an end? How many more lives must be lost before peace and stability are restored to this war-torn regions? The world watches, but the suffering persists.

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