Ethiopia's Tigray war: Inside Mekelle cut off from the world
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Loading... - Dofi Maxwell
- 04 Apr 2022
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The region has been totally cut off for many months, leaving millions in desperate need of food and essential supplies. A resident of Tigray's capital, Mekelle, which is under the control of the TPLF rebels, has managed to tell the BBC what life is like.
Getting hold of the basics needed to survive every day is a source of anxiety.
As a father with two small children, it breaks my heart that I am not able to provide for my family. This is in part because I am unable to use the money I have because all the banks are shut.
Many of us are facing this problem and cash is scarce.
I have not had access to my account since June last year and instead I have been borrowing money from friends and relatives here to buy food for the family.
Relatives abroad have also wanted to help but because all phones lines and the internet have both been cut off it is impossible to arrange this.
On top of this food prices have skyrocketed.
The local staple grain, teff, as well as wheat flour, pepper and cooking oil are becoming harder to afford.
A year ago, 100kg (220lbs) of teff would cost about $80 (£60) but now it will set you back $146.
Those who can afford it are buying a smaller quantity of teff and mixing it with cheaper sorghum and wheat in order to make injera (flat bread), which is an essential part of every meal.
But many others cannot buy teff at all.
We have been told to plant vegetables in our compound and we are working on it. The problem though is that we have to get hold of water.
We used to buy a 200-litre barrel of water to get us through the week, but now we can't afford it and instead we're getting water from shallow wells.
New shoes or clothes for the children and eating meat have become luxuries.
Running water and electric power are limited and they come on and off throughout the day - sometimes days can go by without either.
Many people are out of work and the majority of shops and business centres in Mekelle are closed as they are either unable to pay rent for their shops or lack supplies to sell.
As a result, people have started selling off their assets such as cars, furniture and jewellery to buy food. And they are forced to sell at a huge discount.
A 21-carat gold ring, which once cost $64 can be sold for as little as $12. A car can go for $7,000 even though it used to cost $16,000.
Once people have run out of things to sell they have turned to begging and there are so many beggars on streets - the majority are mothers with children.
Medical services have also run out of drugs.
Those with chronic health conditions are dying because of a lack of medicine.
People living with HIV are receiving their antiretroviral tablets intermittently.
Celebrations such as religious feasts and weddings that used to be such a vital part of the social fabric have become a distant memory.
As for what I do every day - before the schools re-opened I used to sleep in late.
This was because I was up at night watching and listening to all the news clips that I had managed to gather.
The latest news is hard to come by.
I don't have access to the internet. Instead, I go to road-side vendors to record video and audio clips about current events which are sold for about $0.20 each.
At other times I either read books, chat with neighbours or walk. Read More...
