Ethiopia: Escalating Northern Ethiopia Conflict Overwhelms Hospitals – MSF Reports

Renewed fighting across northern Ethiopia has driven hundreds of war-wounded patients into hospitals across the Tigray and Amhara regions, straining medical facilities and forcing Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to suspend some operations and redirect staff.

MSF reported Monday that its emergency teams scaled up response efforts on Sept. 22 as clashes escalated between forces aligned with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF). The surge in violence follows months of building tensions and threatens the fragile November 2022 peace agreement.

At MSF-supported hospitals in Korem and Alamata, the number of casualties surged from roughly 180 within the first 48 hours to more than 420 between September 22 and September 25. Meanwhile, Suhul Hospital in Shire, northwestern Tigray, admitted over 300 wounded patients on September 25. MSF noted that these figures reflect only patients treated at its supported facilities and do not represent total casualties.

Deteriorating security forced MSF to suspend operations at Alamata Hospital and halt community outreach programs. Personnel from those areas have been reassigned to help manage emergency triage at overburdened hospitals in Shire, Sheraro, and Korem, where maternal and pediatric care continue.

MSF said it was monitoring displacements as civilians flee the fighting and preparing to respond to the needs of displaced people in Tigray, Amhara and Afar regions.

Human Rights Watch and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have called on all parties to protect civilians, safeguard critical infrastructure, and ensure unimpeded humanitarian access as hostilities spread.

By Reporter.