Answer:
Was
Step-by-step explanation:
was because it sounds past-tense. If you were to fill the sentence with were, is, or are. It doesn't sound right. "The condition of the villagers were miserable curing the conflict." That isn't grammatically correct. If you were to use "were", you would have to say, "The villagers were miserable during the conflict." Then, "is" and "are" are present tense. Therefore, it isn't correct.