In the 2020 to 2022 war in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, sexual violence against women and girls was widespread. Survivors are still waiting for care, justice and reparation. On 23 September 2026, the fighting returned. This film follows Birhan, a Tigrayan advocate now living in New Jersey, as she watches the war come back from afar, calls her sister at home, and returns to the testimonies women shared with her in Tigray.

In the film: Birhan Gebrekirstos Mezgbo, Tigrayan advocate. Rita Kahsay, Tigrayan researcher and co-founder of EASE. Women from Tigray who shared their testimonies, with their identities protected. Animation by Gabrielle Tesfaye.

The film draws on Not Ours to Carry, a 38 minute documentary following three Tigrayan women advocates, which screens at the UK Parliament on 25 November 2026.

THE FACTS BEHIND THE FILM

War broke out in Tigray in November 2020. The Pretoria agreement ended the fighting in November 2022.

A 2023 study in BMJ Global Health found that 1 in 10 women and girls surveyed in Tigray experienced sexual violence, most of it rape, in the first eight months of the war.

In 2025, a Tigrayan commission of inquiry found that more than 280,000 of the women and girls it reached had suffered sexual violence during the war.

Fighting resumed on 23 September 2026.

We invited the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea to respond. Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told us it condemns all forms of sexual violence, and that the claim that sexual violence was used as a weapon of war has no foundation in truth as far as government agencies are concerned. Eritrea did not respond.

To support survivors, see our Take Action page for how to donate to EASE and write to your representative.

QUESTIONS THIS FILM ANSWERS

What happened to women in the Tigray war? Between 2020 and 2022, human rights investigators, including the UN International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia, documented widespread rape and sexual violence against women and girls in Tigray. Many survivors have still not received care or justice.

Is the war in Tigray happening again? Yes. Fighting resumed on 23 September 2026, ending nearly four years of relative calm under the 2022 Pretoria agreement.

Is there a documentary about sexual violence in Tigray? Yes. Tigray: The War the World Is Ignoring, and the Women It's Destroying is a documentary by MAZE, a channel of female filmmakers, released in October 2026. It is free to watch on YouTube.

What is a one-stop centre? A clinic where survivors of sexual violence can get medical care, psychological support and legal help in one place. There are eight in Tigray.

What is EASE? A Tigrayan organisation that supports the one-stop centres with medicines, training and support for health workers. Rita Kahsay, who appears in the film, is a co-founder.