Day 60 of Genocide by Starvation
Preventing another Rwanda in Tigray.
About 15 years ago, I co-presented at a Rwandan memorial with Rwandan President Paul Kagame. What struck me most from his presentation was how many people were killed in such a short time: almost one million people in 100 days.
I’m terrified that when the dust clears in Tigray, we will find that more than one million people will have perished in 100 days, mostly by starvation. Even before the war started, aid organizations had predicted a massive food shortage because a locust outbreak of biblical proportions had ravaged agriculture across Tigray. It’s now been more than sixty days since Tigray was cut off from the world, with little access to food, medicine, power, and communication.
UNICEF estimates that more then two million children are at risk of starvation in Tigray. That’s why my focus has been on allowing humanitarian organizations to provide food and medicine to civilians immediately.
I know many of you watched Hotel Rwanda as I did and you told yourself: If ever there was another Rwanda, I would do something to stop it. I believe that by working together we can stop a genocide that is already at day 60. Here are things we can all do:
Call your elected official using a script I’ve provided in this previous post.
Watch and share the recent webinar I recorded with Samuel Gebru.
Support communities like those in Seattle that are organizing for humanitarian access and an end to the war.
Thank you for reading and for caring.
Mawi Asgedom
Picture: Refugee children from Tigray wait to register at the UNCHR in Sudan.
Yes we cannot allow another Rwandan genocide in Tigray. But #genocide is happening in Tigray right now and has to be stopped now.
Mr Mawi Asgedom, thank you for being voice to the voiceless of our families and loved ones in Tigray. The top priority should be the barbaric Eritrean troops and Amhara militias out of Tigray. B/c: 1. further massacres will stop immediately. 2. Unhindered humanitarian aid can be distributed freely to whole Tigray. B/c we are hearing the Eritrean troops and Amhara militias are taking/looting the aids to Eritrea and Amhara region. 3. The humanitarian aid workers presence would help reduce the massacres.