Tigray has been isolated for 17 months. Millions are in desperate need of food and essentials. Tigray's capital is under the control of the rebels. Getting the basics for survival is a source of anxiety. Every bank is shut so people are unable to use the money they have. People are borrowing money from friends and relatives to buy food. Relatives abroad want to help but all phone lines and the internet have been cut off. Plus, any available food has skyrocketed in price. The staple grain, teff, wheat flour, pepper and cooking oil are harder to afford. Foraged wild fruits, which people never used to eat, are now on sale at roadside stalls. People planted vegetables but water is scarce. They sell possessions to live. When nothing is left they start begging in the street. Human Rights Watch-Amnesty report accuses paramilitaries of war crimes and crimes against humanity.