At least 2 million people risk starvation in Ethiopia’s Tigray

Nearly 2 million civilians risk starvation in the Ethiopian region of Tigray where drought has added to the impact of a civil war, the BBC said, citing local officials.

A lack of rainfall meant that many Tigray farmers will not be able to plant crops in the critical July period, it said.

Drying dams and reservoirs led to a failure of irrigation systems in Tigray, home to some 6 million people.

A civil war between Tigray rebels and the central government left thousands dead. The war lasted for two years until the end of 2022.

In February, after Ethiopia’s ombudsman reported nearly 400 deaths from hunger in the country, including in Tigray, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said: “There are no people dying due to hunger in Ethiopia.”