Tigray War destroyed $10.86B in social infrastructure, new report finds

The Commission of Inquiry on the Tigray Genocide (CITG) has released a comprehensive report revealing catastrophic damage to Ethiopia’s Tigray region’s social sectors during the conflict that erupted in November 2020. The report estimates total destruction and losses at approximately USD 10.86 billion, affecting essential systems including health, education, cultural heritage, religious institutions, and social welfare.

According to the commission, the conflict, combined with what the commission describes as a prolonged and “systematic siege and blockade,” led to widespread, often total, destruction of crucial infrastructure and public services.

The findings indicate the education sector suffered the greatest losses at USD 5.38 billion, followed by the health sector with USD 3.59 billion in damages. The destruction of schools, hospitals, and other public facilities is described as overwhelmingly irreversible, signaling a near-total breakdown of basic services.

The humanitarian fallout has been severe. Immunization coverage collapsed from nearly 100% to 20%, and maternal mortality rates surged as health facilities were destroyed or rendered non-functional. Over 1.2 million children were pushed out of school, with overall enrollment declining by more than 80%. The report underscores extensive damage to centuries-old heritage sites and the dismantling of traditional community safety networks, leading to cultural loss, trauma, and a breakdown of social cohesion. As a result, displacement, food insecurity, and poverty have risen, with households increasingly dependent on humanitarian aid.

This publication follows a series of investigative reports by the commission. On October 16, the CITG released a separate report documenting widespread and systematic sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) during the two-year conflict. The commission surveyed 481,201 respondents, with 59.5% reporting exposure to at least one form of gender-based violence. Of these survivors, 58.4% endured sexual violence including gang rape, sexual slavery, and violent mutilation intended to cause infertility.

Independent investigations have also documented the scale of abuses. A June report by The Sentry detailed widespread killings, sexual violence, and destruction targeting ethnic Tigrayans. Among the most notorious incidents was the November 2020 Aksum massacre, in which EDF troops, allegedly with knowledge of Ethiopian military command, executed hundreds of civilians over two days and shot those attempting to retrieve bodies.

The Sentry also found that Eritrean forces engaged in extensive, organized looting of hospitals, factories, religious institutions, and cultural heritage sites across northern Tigray. in what the report described as an effort to both enrich officials and dismantle Tigray’s economy.

Together, the findings contribute to a growing body of evidence documenting systematic human rights violations against civilians throughout the conflict in Tigray.