Obsession with Ukraine ignores the suffering of black and brown people in other parts of the world

By Maria Cheng

The head of the World Health Organization has slammed the global community for its focus on the war in Ukraine, arguing that crises elsewhere, including in his home country of Ethiopia, are not being given equal consideration, possibly because those suffering are not white.

Rohingya refugees are being relocated by the government of Bangladesh.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus questioned “if the world really gives equal attention to black, brown and white lives,” given that the ongoing emergencies in Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Syria have garnered only a “fraction” of the global concern for Ukraine.

It is a message similar to that being delivered by a broad range of human rights and religions leaders, including Pope Francis, who has called the attention focused on Ukraine “obsessive” considering the suffering in other parts of the world.

Last month, Tedros said there is “nowhere on earth where the health of millions of people is more under threat” than Ethiopia’s Tigray region.

Since a truce was declared in Tigray three weeks ago, about 2,000 trucks should have been able to bring food, medicines and other essentials to the conflict-ridden area, he said. Instead, only about 20 trucks have arrived, said Tedros, a former minister of health in Ethiopia and an ethnic Tigrayan.

“As we speak, people are dying of starvation,” he said. “This is one of the longest and worst sieges by both Eritrean and Ethiopian forces in modern history.”

Tedros acknowledged that the war in Ukraine is globally significant, but asked if other crises are being accorded enough attention.

“I need to be blunt and honest that the world is not treating the human race the same way,” he said. “Some are more equal than others.”

Tedros described the situation in Tigray as “tragic” and said he “hopes the world comes back to its senses and treats all human life equally.” He also critiqued the press for its failure to document the ongoing atrocities in Ethiopia, noting that people had been burned alive in the region. “I don’t even know if that was taken seriously by the media.”

Earlier this year, the government of Ethiopia sent a letter to the World Health Organization, accusing Tedros of “misconduct” after his sharp criticism of the war and humanitarian crisis in the country.

The Ethiopian government said Tedros was using his office “to advance his political interest at the expense of Ethiopia” and said he continues to be an active member of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front; Tedros was Ethiopia’s foreign minister and health minister when the front dominated the country’s ruling coalition.

Pope Francis also sees the focus on Ukraine obscuring the suffering in Africa, Asia and other region. “Human life must be respected universally, without regard to economic or racial circumstances. This is God’s will.”
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Credit: Associated Press