Global News published this video item, entitled ““We have lost everything”: War in Ethiopia’s Tigray wrenches families apart” – below is their description.
Ethiopian farmer Gebrahid Welderfael says he last saw his wife and 18-year-old daughter in the sewer in his village in the Tigray region where the family had taken shelter from explosions and gunfire.
When he returned with his younger children from a quick trip to their house to collect supplies, they were gone, lost in the chaos of a conflict where government and rebellious Tigray forces have been fighting since Nov 4.
Unable to find them, Welderfael walked with his younger daughter and two sons to the Um Rakuba camp across the border to Sudan, where more than 45,000 have fled the conflict.
In the scramble to escape what most refugees have described as a “surprise attack”, families were separated, some left behind, and some lost.
“We have lost everything and its been very difficult to sleep here,” Welderfael said. “We are still suffering and thinking about our family.”
Fighting since Nov. 4 is believed to have killed thousands of people, as well as forcing refugees into Sudan, dragging in Eritrea, and worsening hunger and suffering among Tigray’s more than 5 million people.
Eritrea officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in Eastern Africa, with its capital at Asmara. The northeastern and eastern parts of Eritrea have an extensive coastline along the Red Sea. The nation has a total area of approximately 117,600 km2 (45,406 sq mi), and includes the Dahlak Archipelago and several of the Hanish Islands.
Eritrea is a multi-ethnic country, with nine recognized ethnic groups in its population of around five and a half million. Eritrea has nine national languages which are Tigrinya language, Tigre, Afar, Beja, Bilen, Kunama, Nara, Saho. Most people in the territory adhere to Christianity or Islam, with a small minority adhering to traditional faiths.
Eritrea gained de jure independence in 1993 after an independence referendum. National legislative and presidential elections have never been held since independence.
Ethiopia, in the Horn of Africa, is a rugged, landlocked country split by the Great Rift Valley. With archaeological finds dating back more than 3 million years, it’s a place of ancient culture. Among its important sites are Lalibela with its rock-cut Christian churches from the 12th–13th centuries. Aksum is the ruins of an ancient city with obelisks, tombs, castles and Our Lady Mary of Zion church.
The Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, Libya to the northwest, Chad to the west, the Central African Republic to the southwest, South Sudan to the south, Ethiopia to the southeast, Eritrea to the east, and the Red Sea to the northeast.
Sudan’s history goes back to the Pharaonic period. Independence from the British was proclaimed on 1 January 1956.
Islam was Sudan’s state religion and Islamic laws applied from 1983 until 2020 when the country became a secular state. The economy has been described as lower-middle income and relies on oil production. Sudan is a member of the United Nations, the Arab League, African Union, COMESA, Non-Aligned Movement and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation.
