Tigray War Leaves Disabled Veterans Without Aid or Medical Support

Photo : AP

Chandera Weldesenbet is 41 years old and has been waiting for help. He fought in the war in Ethiopia's Tigray region and has metal shrapnel in his body that has not been removed. The war ended more than two years ago, but Chandera is still in pain and can't get the care he needs. He is stuck in bed most of the time and feels hopeless.

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Chandera used to work at a hotel in a town called Shire, but now he can’t work because of his injuries. The hospitals and clinics were destroyed during the war, so there’s no place for him to get proper treatment.

Chandera is not the only one in this situation. There are more than 43,000 ex-soldiers from Tigray who are also struggling. Thousands of people died during the war, and many were hurt. But no one knows how many of the injured are still living with untreated wounds.

Some people like Hiluf Haile, another veteran, were able to get some help. Hiluf received a new prosthetic leg in Mekele, the capital of Tigray, at the only center in the region that helps people like him. But he knows many others have not been as lucky. There are not enough doctors, and many people with serious injuries are left without help. Some have to beg for money because they can’t work.

One of these people is Tesfaye Kiros. Tesfaye lost a leg in the war and now begs for money at a bus stop in Mekele. He wants to go back to his hometown, Zalambessa, but the situation there is dangerous because of rising tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Tesfaye had been given a special bike by a group that helps disabled people, but because he couldn’t find work, he had to sell it to feed his children.

The people in Tigray are struggling to get the help they need. The government in Tigray has asked for more support from Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, and from international groups. They need money and medicine to help all the disabled people who have suffered because of the war.

A place called the Mekelle Ortho-Physiotherapy Center has been helping veterans by giving them prosthetic limbs and crutches. But the center is overwhelmed. They can’t help everyone without more funding. Over the years, they have helped 180,000 people, but the number of people needing help has increased a lot in the last three years.

Birhane Teame, who works at the center, is asking for help from other organizations. He says that Tigray needs more support to help the people who are suffering.