Tigray Conflict: Hospitals Struggle Amidst Renewed Violence
Health workers in northern Ethiopia report a surge in war trauma cases following the collapse of a two-year ceasefire, with funding cuts exacerbating shortages of staff and supplies.
By Tomas Rahman ·
Hospitals in northern Ethiopia are overwhelmed as a two-year ceasefire between federal forces and Tigrayan rebels collapsed on September 24.
A surgeon in Mekele, the capital of the Tigray region, described the emergency room as flooded with war trauma patients. He noted that for seven to eight days, the facility operated without electricity or cell service. Doctors treated victims of gunfire, drone strikes, and mortar shells while unable to predict the volume of incoming casualties.
The World Health Organization director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated that the violence is pushing a fragile health system closer to collapse. WHO data indicates that attacks on healthcare facilities in 19 countries caused more than 960 deaths in 2026. The organization is working with the United Nations to deliver medical supplies to the affected regions.
Funding challenges have compounded the crisis. In May, the federal government cut funds to Tigray after regional leaders were ousted by rebels. Doctors in the region have gone unpaid for months. The dismantling of USAID in 2025 has also reduced global health support, according to Lindsey Green of Physicians for Human Rights.
The conflict has followed a two-year civil war that killed an estimated 600,000 people. A 2022 report found that 83% of clinics and hospitals in the region could no longer serve pregnant women. Maternal mortality rates increased fivefold compared to prewar levels. A health worker in Tigray counted more than 100 maternal deaths in childbirth over the past year, attributing the losses to a lack of medicine, providers, and fuel.
Physicians for Human Rights and the Organization for Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa surveyed over 600 health workers in northern Ethiopia. Sixty-three percent reported attacks on ambulances, and 57 percent witnessed armed takeovers of their facilities between 2020 and 2024. The report confirms that both rebels and government forces have targeted health workers, often as retribution for perceived community alliances.
Ayoda Werede of Health Professionals for Tigray noted that while the Ethiopian military has not targeted health centers in the latest outbreak, other groups have stolen supplies including medication, equipment, and mattresses. Many doctors have left the country, and the system is stretched beyond capacity. The surgeon in Mekele said the lack of security feels like a repeat of past events.
Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry and Office of the Prime Minister did not respond to requests for comment.
