A shutdown of flights and communications for much of the two-year conflict kept many Tigrayans away from their families. Kahssay Hailu sobbed, smiled and said prayers as she stood outside Addis Ababa airport, preparing to board a plane home to Ethiopia’s war-torn Tigray region. She travelled to Addis Ababa in 2020 from Mekelle, Tigray’s capital, to help her daughter prepare for a school exam. A shutdown in communications for much of the two-year conflict means Kahssay, like millions of other Tigrayans, has not spoken to her family in more than 18 months. Another traveller, 65-year-old Nigsti Hailemariam, had planned to be in Addis Ababa for two weeks to help her daughter give birth.

Source: Ethiopian News December 29, 2022 04:47 UTC