A surgeon at the main hospital in the capital of Ethiopia’s Tigray region says that the 23-month civil war has led to patients dying needlessly because of a lack of medicines and treatments.
“We don’t have medicines for our patients, we don’t have surgical materials… we don’t have vaccines… we don’t have insulin,” Dr Fasika Amdeslasie told the BBC’s Newsday programme.
Tigray has been cut off for most of the conflict which has seen forces from Tigray clashing with Ethiopian federal troops and their allies since November 2020.
Some medicine has got through, thanks to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Health Organization, but the supply has been sporadic, Dr Fasika said.
He added that diabetic patients are dying because of a lack of insulin and kidney patients may also die because dialysis treatment cannot continue.
On top of this, Dr Fasika says that the staff at the hospital have not been paid for 17 months.
“We are trying to save those who we can… but it’s difficult now to save those who can be saved,” he concluded.
Some of the 42,000 Arema fans flung bottles and other missiles at players and officials and at least five police vehicles were toppled and set alight outside the stadium.
Riot police trying to stop the violence fired tear gas in the stadium, triggering panic in the crowd and sparking the crush as they stampeded for the exits.
Most of the 125 people who died were trampled or suffocated.
Police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said in a news conference: “I ensure that investigation on this case will be conducted thoroughly and seriously.”
President Widodo has ordered a suspension of the Indonesian premier league until safety is re-evaluated and security is tightened.
The nation’s football association has also banned Arema from hosting any matches for the rest of the season.
Human rights group Amnesty International has urged the Indonesian government to investigate the use of tear gas at the stadium and ensure that those found in violation are tried in open court.
Police are still questioning witnesses and analysing footage from 32 security cameras inside and outside the stadium and nine mobile phones owned by the victims, as part of the investigation to identify suspects.
The 18 officers responsible for firing tear gas as well as security managers are also under investigation.
‘A tragedy beyond comprehension’
FIFA, which has no control over domestic games, has previously advised against using tear gas at stadiums.
Hooliganism is rife in Indonesian football, with fanaticism often spilling over into violence.
Prior to the stampede on Saturday, 78 people have died in game-related incidents over the past 28 years, according to data from Indonesian watchdog Save Our Soccer.