Their parents are asking for help to evacuate their children from Tigray.
as reported from Nairobi, Albane Thirouard
Since the rebel forces from Tigray took over Mekele, the communications network has been cut off again and most roads in the region have been blocked. In addition, there is a lack of food. In total, more than five million people are in urgent need of humanitarian aid, according to the UN. What worries parents, without news for almost a month, of their children studying in the region. Students at the region’s four public universities no longer have the opportunity to get in touch with their families.
So there were several hundred gathered last Friday in front of the UN office in Addis Ababa. Calls for an urgent UN intervention for the evacuation of students.
The university calls on the government to act
At the beginning of the month, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education wanted to be reassuring and confirmed via Facebook that they followed their courses normally.
But on Thursday, Mekele University issued a disturbing statement. Although funded by the Ethiopian government, the institution says it has not received funding for this year. And run out of money to feed the students. As bank accounts are blocked, it is not possible to buy food. The facility specifies that it will no longer be able to take responsibility for students from 27 July.
The University calls on the Ethiopian authorities to resolve the situation before this date. Either by transferring the necessary money or by sending buses to evacuate the students from Tigray.
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