Tigray Herald፡November 2,2024 (Mekele)
The Rising Tensions in the Horn of Africa: A Reflection on Ethiopia’s Aggressive Posturing
By Haftu Hindeya Gebremeskel, an associate professor at Mekelle University in Tigray, Ethiopia.
My shoes endured a lot. My friend Abenet and I walked roughly 16 km (10 miles) a day across the city. With no money and a complete halt in transport services due to fuel shortages, we had little choice.
We often visited friends working in NGOs, hoping they might relay messages to our families outside the region or country, as these were the only places with limited internet access. Unfortunately, many were reluctant to help. Some asked for money or favors, while others seemed to have lost hope. A few treated us with indifference or harshness.
Even now, we have the peace agreement, but we are not at peace. Two years on, almost one million people are still unable to return to their homes. We cannot rebuild our scarred agricultural land, or bombed towns and villages, because Tigray is also experiencing the worst drought for 40 years. Food security levels in almost the entire region are at crisis and emergency levels. About 1.84 million Tigrayan children have been out of school for three consecutive years. Despite efforts made, only below half of those children are back to their severely devastated schools. And 80 percent of teachers surveyed showed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, indicating the severe psychological toll the war has taken on them, according to a report.
I think to myself, as I look at my shoes, time passes, and these times bring us lessons we learned the hard way. The Tigray war must be documented. Those with writing skills must tirelessly document our harrowing stories so that our children can avoid repeating the same mistakes.
Source፡Global Voices
