Mekelle/Tel Aviv/Nairobi/Pretoria/London
By Chekole Alemu
President of the Tigray Interim Administration, General Tadesse Worede, on Today carried out an official field visit to internally displaced persons IDP centers in Northwestern Tigray, as the region continues to host 146 displacement sites sheltering civilians displaced from Western Tigray.
The visit began today at the Hitsats IDP Center in Asgede Woreda and is expected to continue to other IDP sites in the area. Hitsats is among the largest displacement centers in Tigray, hosting thousands of people displaced from Western Tigray, including Welkait, Tsegede, and Kafta Humera.
During his visit, General Tadesse recalled that two days earlier he had publicly praised social media users, particularly TikTok content creators, for exposing acute food shortages at the Hitsats camp before the regional government issued its official press release. He said the widely shared videos played a critical role in drawing attention to the situation on the ground and served as an early warning for authorities and humanitarian actors.
The president described the social media exposure as responsible civic action that amplified the voices of displaced communities and reinforced the need for timely institutional response.
During the visit, the president toured shelter facilities and received briefings from local administrators and humanitarian actors on the living conditions inside the camp. Residents raised concerns over overcrowding, shortages of clean water, limited healthcare services, and the prolonged nature of their displacement.
Tigray currently hosts 146 IDP centers accommodating civilians displaced from Western Tigray. Many of these sites continue to face serious challenges, including overcrowding, limited access to clean water, inadequate sanitation, strained health services, and irregular food assistance.
At Hitsats, a large proportion of the displaced are women and children who remain fully dependent on humanitarian aid. Officials and aid partners briefing the president said resources remain stretched across the region due to the prolonged nature of displacement.
Regional authorities reiterated that humanitarian assistance alone cannot resolve the crisis. They emphasized that the continued displacement reflects unresolved political and security issues in Western Tigray and stressed the need for safe, voluntary, and dignified return of displaced populations.
General Tadesse reiterated that humanitarian aid alone cannot address the crisis, calling for a durable political solution that would allow the safe, voluntary, and dignified return of displaced people.
He warned that without sustained support and progress toward resolution, displacement in Tigray risks becoming a long-term humanitarian emergency rather than a temporary response.
