In Mekelle, the provincial capital, residents say they are cut off from the world.
With our special correspondent in Mekelle (the capital of Tigray), Sebastien nemeth
Homesweetland School employees print, punch paper, sell books and music. Additional activities to survive. The classes are interrupted due to Covid and its cybercafe, which is known for being the fastest in the city, has not worked since the beginning of the conflict. Mule Nandesta, one of the officials.
“The Internet stopped everywhere at the same time. Today we have many unpaid bills. Fortunately, the owner does not kick us out. We always get some money from our online English lessons on Youtube because people outside Tigray are watching our channel. ”
Without the internet, Tigray is in a way cut off from the world. Mohamed Awul, 27, accuses the government. “It is a political decision that violates human rights. The power shuts us off because it does not like tigrayans. Internet access is a right and it was taken from us. They want to keep us in the dark. It’s a kind of punishment. ”
For about a week, some places in the city have recovered from the network. Fasil, 20, was able to log in for the first time in six months by going to a hotel. “All messages came at the same time. I wondered how it was possible to receive so many. It made me feel good and at the same time I had missed so many things. I tried to learn online, take online courses to change my life, but everything is cut off. We feel very bad about it. We’re starting to hate our lives. “
To avoid being invaded by people desperately searching for the network, hotels are now changing the password for their wifi, which is reserved for customers every day.
■ A shocking statement
The head of the country’s Orthodox Church on Friday, May 7, condemned the genocide of the Tigrayans. While the conflict has been going on since November, Patriarch Abune Mathias accused the Ethiopian authorities of wanting to destroy the Tigrayan people. The Tigray native himself spoke to the religious in a video recorded a month ago by an American humanitarian who was able to take the document out of the country before it was distributed. Abune Mathias explains that he tried to talk several times, but that the authorities had censored him.
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