Disclaimer: This is an English translation of an Amharic article taken from DW Amharic and is intended solely for information purposes.
DW Amharic – Internally displaced persons in Amhara Region Turk camp call for help
Esayas Gelaw
January 28, 2025
Internally displaced persons taking shelter in the Turk camp in Tehuldere Woreda of South Wollo Zone in Amhara Region say, “hunger doesn’t wait” but humanitarian assistance “is not reaching us.” They said many people have nothing to eat or drink and have become weakened and bedridden. They said it has been over a year since they received any humanitarian assistance and have called for urgent humanitarian and medical relief.
There are more than 40 thousand internally displaced persons residing in South Wollo Zone of Amhara Region and for years they have survived on food from 11 shelters and by integrating with the local community, however over the past four or five months they have not received any food assistance according to over 1,700 internally displaced persons which are facing a humanitarian emergency in Turk camp located in Tehuldere Woreda of South Wollo Zone.
“We have nothing not even anything to drink, and in some areas all one can see is people lying down, and secondly there are people which have nothing to drink including those with large families so there are many problems and people are left fatigued and bedridden, that is because of the hunger.” Internally displaced persons in the Turk camp have not received timely food assistance exposing them to a food shortage.
Difficulties with receiving medical care
“It has become fatigue and lying down, when we take them to doctors, they say how can we treat them without food and that there is no medical treatment for hunger.” Workers at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) which hired workers to provide medical services for the camp were unwilling to provide comments on the matter, despite this according to one internally displaced person said since the outbreak of war between the government and Fano fighters more than a year ago government officials did not come to survey their situation.
The security problem in the Turk camp area
“It has been more than a year since it was said there was a security problem and food security workers have never come here, nobody has ever come here, only doctors from a foreign organization called IOM which came here but when they were unable to treat people they would return, as a result of the medicine and hunger not being in agreement, which has prevented people from receiving medical care and this has caused significant harm.”
The area of Tehuldere Woreda’s Turk camp being substandard has led to an increase in gender-based attacks on women.
Gender-based attacks on women
“Women have experienced attacks, there is a desert-like area called Guba and when they have went there to collect wood they have experienced gender-based attacks and furthermore there is a cave located 20 minutes away in a place called 016 and when they travel there to collect water they also face similar attacks and there has been nobody to prevent this from happening.”
The Tehuldere Woreda Agricultural Office has worked to ensure these internally displaced persons receive food relief and though efforts to reach the former warning and response team head were unsuccessful, the South Wollo Zone Emergency Prevention and Food Security office head Ato Ali Sayed said since there is now approval to send appropriate amounts of food assistance to the internally displaced persons, they will soon deliver it.
Humanitarian provisions and transportation problems
“There is a transportation problem but there was permission granted for some things, we were told recently there was federal approval but there was a transportation problem, when the cost of fuel increased by one hundred birr there was a transportation problem, and we tried to talk through it and resolve it.”
Despite this in South Wollo Zone there are more than 40 thousand internally displaced persons but only 38% receive support says Ato Ali Sayed.
Esayas Gelaw
Mantegaftot Sileshi
Tsehaye Chanie
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