Ethiopia is going through what many view as a civil war. According to the BBC, the war started in November 2020 and has seized over 350,000 lives as of June 2021. It all started with a conflict between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation (TPLF).
The political and social division in the country has caused many deaths and international concerns leading to protests worldwide, including in Washington, D.C. This movement has also reached the school many Ethiopian students attend. The Ethiopian crisis has affected everyone differently, and it has been a mental attack for the Ethiopian students at Washington Liberty.
Hanna Fisseha, an Ethiopian-Tigray senior, has family in the Tigray region. While she has spoken to her family in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, she has not been able to reach her family in Tigray in over two years.
“I don’t know if they’re okay, I don’t know what happened to them,” Fisseha said. “This makes me so upset, seeing how many people died… I felt like I was living my life with monsters around me because it’s just so bad [what’s happening in Ethiopia].”
Tigray, like many regions in Ethiopia at this time, has been condemned to violence. Fisseha stays active on social media, posting petitions, foundations and donating, and has been trying to gain attention on this matter, all while handling her personal life.
“I don’t know if half of my family is alive,” Fisseha said. “So I’m kind of pushing through it. It makes me sad to see my parents cry whenever they hear somebody’s getting killed in that area… I don’t really watch the news like I used to… because it really affected me to the point [that] I cannot sleep anymore because it’s like a nightmare to me.”
The Ethiopian crisis has affected not only Fisseha’s mental health but also her school work. She believes the killings of many people in her birthplace are inhumane and feels she cannot do anything to help her country.
“I feel like when I come home, all I see in my house is about politics,” Fisseha said. “The way I’m handling it is actually having to tell myself that I can’t do anything about it right now. All I can do is repost, protest, and give money to help.”
TPLF is a banned political party, now deemed a terrorist group by the Ethiopian government. According to the Embassy of Ethiopia, TPLF will “weaken, disrupt and dismantle Ethiopia,” but
the government fails to separate people from the party. To Hermla Weldmkel, an Ethiopian senior, the war is a matter of corruption.
“The corruption that is going on in Ethiopia right now makes me feel like I can’t do anything about it… it just feels like all you can do is just pray for them,” Weldemkel said.
While she believes the topic is very political,Wedmekal’s family’s resultant grief surrounds her, which overwhelms her.
“I see my mom upset, I see my friends from Ethiopia,” Weldemkal said. “They’re very hurt by it and see people cry… Seeing something like this makes me feel overwhelmed by emotions, not good emotions… Every day there’s something very disturbing to hear…it’s something that really touches you because it’s happening to your own people.”
Kaleb Mehari, a senior, has family in Addis Ababa with whom he occasionally communicates. Addis Ababa, being the capital, is not subject to as much violence as other areas; and because of this, Kaleb feels as though his family is OK.
“The last time I heard Addis Ababait was safe, I guess I feel fine,” Mehari said. “It affect[s] my life but it doesn’t really affect my life. It hasn’t really [come up] in my conversations.”
Amhara, another tribe in Ethiopia, is a target of the violence and is where his mother is from, while his father is from Tigray. People would say there is a lot of political tension between the two regions.
“My parents are arguing because my mom is Amhara and my dad is Tigray,” Mehari said. “…that hasn’t really affected me. Not much at least.”
While the Ethiopian crisis is seen as a political topic by many, the Ethiopian students at the school face mental tolls due to the war in their home country. Save the Children is open to donations to help Ethiopia.
“It’s sad to see people who are innocent are getting killed and people who are just living,” Weldemkel said. “It’s just a whole genocide and it’s very, like, it’s a lot of grieving to do.”
Liya Rike
Liya Rike was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and raised in Arlington, Virginia. Liya has always enjoyed writing and would write stories whenever she could, but she never knew where to point this passion. During the pandemic, she watched a lot of news coverage of the election, COVID-19 and other world events, and realized she wanted to tell stories. Now, she takes two journalism courses to hone her skills and passion for the field.