Emergency Risk Education for Mine Action in Tigray Following weeks of escalating tensions between the regional and federal authorities, clashes erupted between the TPLF and the ENDF in several locations across Tigray on November 4, 2020. Nine months after the outbreak of fighting, the crisis in Tigray has displaced an estimated 2,036,398 people in Tigray and neighboring Afar and Amhara regions, according to the emergency site assessment report conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) at 377 sites across three regions.1,091,895 people (213,681 households) are internally displaced within north western Tigray zone, of which 673,241 people (138,561 households) were sheltering in Shire town alone, the majority of whom were displaced from North Western and Western zones, according to IOM. In addition, approximately 220,675 IDPs and 91,519 IDPs were found to be sheltering in Central Zone’s Adwa and Eastern Zone’s Adigrat towns, respectively. The complex and unpredictable security situation is impeding the free movement of humanitarian actors to reach and support people in need, while civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict, with ongoing forced displacement across North Western Tigray. Most areas in Tigray remain cut off from communications and electricity, impacting access to basic services provision, including health services and water supply, among others.

Protection risks are rife in displacement areas. According to protection monitoring conducted in July 2021, although the ceasefire and transition of power in Tigray has resolved many security concerns, IDPs still do not feel safe in the various sites in Shire, especially due to overcrowded living arrangements, with no GBV prevention or general safety measures in place. Additionally, IDPs expressed concerns about their access to appropriate information about protection risks and available services. 

Initial assessments by UNMAS have indicated a high rate of explosive ordinance contamination across Tigray due to the ongoing conflict. IDPs and host community have reported a lack of awareness of how to identify and mitigate risks from explosive ordinances, and in recent months there have been an increasing number of injuries linked to Explosive Remnants of War (ERW). During protection monitoring, IDPs have expressed concerns about the presence of ERW in their areas of origin, which could expose them to further harm in returning home or resuming agricultural activities, and further restricting their movement. At present, there is limited capacity for marking, survey, or clearance of identified risks as such, DRC’s approach will focus initially on emergency Explosive Ordinance Risk Education (EORE) to mitigate immediate risks, while strengthening the evidence-base for future interventions by Mine Action AoR.

The proposed intervention will build upon DRC’s existing programming, by incorporating emergency EORE through protection desks and information sessions, as well as incorporating assessment of explosive ordinance risks into ongoing protection monitoring and RPAs, to capture information about the extent of ERW and the impact on safety and security, access to services, and freedom of movement. These findings will contribute to the development of more comprehensive EORE messaging, tailored to the specific risks identified in Shire and Sheraro, as well as targeted to provide appropriate messaging for the most at-risk groups. 

The organization has identified strategic approaches founded on a strict adherence to humanitarian principles, protection as fundamental to humanitarian response, technical rigor in the organization’s delivery modalities, and investment in understanding the complex contexts. The project will be implemented through direct intervention by the DRC Shire field office and Sheraro sub-office, with all necessary support and close follow-up, supervision, and guidance from Addis Ababa head office.