People in the northern region of Tigray in Ethiopia are sad about the death of warriors who were killed during the very violent war that lasted for two years and ended last year.
Presently, the residents of Mekelle are acquiring information about their deceased family members who lost their lives in the conflict with Ethiopian forces and their supporters.
The fighting started in November 2020 when the national government claimed that militias who were supporters of the regional party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), attacked the military base in the north.
Shortly after, soldiers from Eritrea and local militias supported the Ethiopian government and battled against the Tigrayan forces. Eventually, a peace agreement was made in Pretoria last year.
A lot of people in Mekelle have been informed that their family members have died. I went to a funeral ceremony and a religious service at a church. “It made me really sad,” said one person who liveshere.
The person who lives there said they were concerned about the young people from the neighborhood who had joined the army and haven’t returned yet. They mentioned that they will find out what happened to them next week.
Another person living in Tigray visited different parts of the region. They saw villagers grieving over the loss of their family members in various locations.
Last week, Getachew Reda, who is the president of the temporary Tigray government, told journalists that soon the families of soldiers who have passed away will receive details about their loved ones.
However, people are saying that the authorities are at fault because they did not officially inform families that their loved ones have died.
According to reports, families are being made to look for soldiers,but then army commanders eventually tell them that the soldiers have passed away.
Neither the federal government nor TPLF said how many fighters they lost in the two-year war. All the parties were blamed for doing terrible things during that time.
Even though there is no fighting in the area anymore, officials are saying that some people are hungry because aid organizations have stopped giving out food. This happened because they found out that some people have been stealing the aid supplies.