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Western Tigray IDPs in Abergele District Demand Return Home Hundreds of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Western Tigray, now sheltering in Abergele District, are intensifying calls to return to their homes, describing it as their only real lifeline. Over the past months, IDPs have organized protests at regional administrative centers, denouncing slow-moving return efforts and accusing authorities of failing to deliver on pledges. According to witnesses, displaced families recently staged demonstrations at the Interim President’s Office in Mekelle, urging the immediate implementation of repatriation plans. The interim Tigray administration, backed by federal and international partners, has repeatedly pledged to return IDPs safely to their homes a central demand of the Pretoria Peace Agreement signed in November 2022. Yet many IDPs remain stuck, citing security threats, lack of services, and sporadic humanitarian access as barriers. A UN situation assessment in March 2024 recorded approximately 1.6 million IDPs in Tigray, with tens of thousands stranded in the Central Zone, including Abergele, who lack access to housing, food, and basic services projects. “These aren’t just calls for shelter they’re cries for dignity and survival,” said a community liaison in Abergele. Many of the displaced report worsening health, food shortages, and zero educational access for their children. Despite intermittent returns like the March April 2023 movement of over 37,000 IDPs back to Abergele these efforts largely involved locally displaced populations, not those from Western Tigray . IDPs from the Western Zone, under occupied by Amhara authorities, face hostile military presence and unresolved control over their villages. In May 2025, U.S. Ambassador Ervin Massinga visited IDP camps in Shire and emphasized that “aid alone is not a long-term solution” echoing calls from displaced residents themselves who insist that returning home is essential . Looking ahead, humanitarian agencies warn that without progress toward safe and sustainable returns, IDPs face increasing risk of prolonged dependency and worsening conditions. Advocacy groups are urging all parties regional officials, the Ethiopian federal government, and international donors to prioritize opening routes, ensuring security, and delivering services.