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Parents call on the government and the United Nations to help their children studying in conflict-torn areas safe.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia- For nearly nine months, thousands of Ethiopian parents have been suffering for the fate of their children, and they are still trapped in universities in the conflict-affected Tigray region.
Several universities in the northern region warned in late July that they faced challenges in feeding students and ensuring their safety, which put pressure on the federal and regional governments and the United Nations to take action.
“My daughter goes to medical school in Adigrat and will graduate in a year,” her mother Bertukan Tades told Al Jazeera. “I haven’t heard from her, I am in pain,” the 54-year-old said.
“Continuing concerns about her safety became overwhelming, and her father was bedridden due to depression and anxiety.”
On July 24, the family held a protest in Addis Ababa, demanding action [File: Samuel Getachew/Al Jazeera]There are currently no functioning banks or electricity supply in this area of ​​approximately 6 million people. The Internet and telephone communications have been cut off. Since the beginning of the fighting between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in early November last year, services have been frequently disrupted and roads and airports have been closed.
The deteriorating conflict caused both parties to blame for serious abuses, including massacres, but neither party showed any desire to compromise.
According to the United Nations, more than 90% of Tigray’s population needs emergency food and hundreds of thousands of people suffer from famine. This week, UNICEF warned that more than 100,000 children in the region could face severe malnutrition this year.
In February, a bus carrying 41 new degree students from Mekelle University to Addis Ababa was attacked by unidentified gunmen in Adi Mesino, Tigray. According to reports, seven young people were killed in the attack, highlighting the complexity and danger of the situation in the region.
Last week, an estimated 2,000 parents and relatives staged peaceful protests in front of the compound of the United Nations and the Ethiopian Ministry of Science and Higher Education in Addis Ababa, blocking roads and demanding the immediate and safe evacuation of their children.
According to those present at the meeting, the family met with officials of the ministries and commissions and the government assured them that action would be taken.
Al Jazeera contacted the Ministry and Ethiopia’s UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Catherine Sozi, but did not receive a response as of press time.
According to reports, some parents also went to Afar alone, hoping to enter Tigray and bring their children back, but were unable to do so due to the escalation of fighting.
Despite the dangers, Helen Getaqiu often considers going to Tigray to find her only daughter.
She has not heard from the medical student for more than a month. Since the TPLF recaptured several cities in Tigray and the federal army withdrew, telecommunications have been interrupted.
Getachew worries about when and whether her daughter will return home.
“The last time I saw her was before the conflict started, she flew back to Addis Ababa,” Getaccio told Al Jazeera.
“I begged her not to go back, worrying about her safety, but she insisted on going back and completing her degree, finding the sense of professional accomplishment she saw in others, and becoming the first person in our family to get a degree,” she said.
“I no longer expect her to graduate, but see her come out alive and hold her into my hands.”
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