Ethiopia and Atlanta in the news

Training in Ethiopia.  Come on Ethiopia, you can do better than just 2 on a moto :-)

I was evacuated from the Tigray region of Ethiopia by the Peace Corps about a year ago while I was in training near the regional capital of Mekelle. My Peace Corps sub-office was there so I spent some time in the city. Axum was the market town for my site so I also spent time there during a week of site visit. Walking the streets, meeting people, and sharing meals with strangers to become friends.  One of the better parts of Peace Corps.

Friends who helped me in my travels and paid for my breakfast.  I hope they are OK.


If Tigray, Mekelle, and Axum sound familiar it might be because you remember some of my blog posts last year but more likely because of news about the conflicts between Ethiopian and Eritrean national forces against the regional forces and people in Tigray.

A friend recently flagged this article for me - Ethiopia Tigray Atrocities NYT. I have a subscription to the New York Times this year (I rotate a subscription to support journalism on a limited budget) so I'm able to read it.  Sorry if the article is behind the paywall.

The article is about Ethiopian and Eritrean national forces atrocities against civilians. It is horrible. The prime minister has lied about Eritrean troop movements and blames Tigrayan forces for many things, some might be true. However, he blocked the internet, relief services, independent journalist, and international investigators. I wonder what they are hiding, covering up. Because the national government has been caught in “alternative facts” and has so restricted independent information I tend not to trust their side of the story.

Children living around my site near Axum


I also have some bias. While I have a deep respect for the people of Ethiopia and my first host family, I grew closer to those in Tigray during my service. There are two sides to any conflict, but reports of civilians shot and beaten to death by Ethiopian and Eritrean forces are hard to read.

It’s complicated

Ethiopia is the only country in Africa not colonized and exploited by European nations (although occupied by Italy for a time). However, it was still an empire created by bringing together different tribes and peoples. In northern Ghana, the local tribes maintained good-hearted kidding (most of the time). In Rwanda, the Tutsi and Hutu tribal conflict devolved into genocide.

While I was in the Tigray region I noticed national and regional pride. The people I met talked of sacrifices in fighting to overcome a dictator and bring freedom to the country. They had honor as a people and pledged willingness to take up arms and defend their country and region.

I also learned about the dominance Tigrayans maintained in the national government until recently. The resources given to places in Tigray were in sharp contrast to some in southern regions. I noticed the tension during the first part of my training near the national capital and from the other side during the second half of training in Tigray.

I’m very sad about the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia. Any conflict is bad, but reports of shooting civilians and destruction on the streets that I have walked make it a little more personal. It is intimate for those living through it and families abroad watching the situation.  I'm so sorry for their pain.  I’ve not been about to reach my friends in the region and I wonder about their status. My heart goes out to those suffering a locust plague, the pandemic, and then such rampant political violence.

Burma, Syria, Yemen

Unfortunately, we don’t have to look far from Ethiopia to find other countries with significant problems. The protests for democracy in Burma, the civil war in Syria, and the great humanitarian crisis in Yemen are but three of many examples in the news recently.

Closer to home

Tragically, we don’t have to look outside our borders to find human on human violence. We are still recovering and trying to understand the Capitol insurrection. We know we have work to avoid a repeat of such political violence.

And close friends of Asia heritage have confided that they have been victims of hate and racist attacks for years. Years!

Using hate and lies to stir up divisions in our country is too common. It is a wretched tactic used by some groups, companies, and politicians. Claiming Chinese Americans are the source of Kung Flu or whatever was so very wrong and caused tragic consequences for Americans of Asian and Pacific Islands descent.  Humans have suffered new attacks on top of the chronic abuse from racists in our country.

We have heard recent reports of angry people attacking women and older Asian Americans. Cowards. Bullies. We have seen the shoving of an old man from behind because it was captured on camera.  What have we done to make things better?

We know less about another old man knifed, women and children spit on, and many more attacked in other ways because they didn't make the news. Too many are unreported and we will never know about the trauma caused.

And now some kid bought a handgun and shot dead Soon C. Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, and Yong A. Yue, in Atlanta. He then drove 30 miles to kill Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, and Daoyou Feng.  People are debating if the violence was because of race or gender as if one is better or something.  (Blaming women and making excuses for men was the subject of a recent Guardian article about chronic stress on women.)

I mourn the loss of life in the Tigray region, in Yemen, Burma, Syria, around the US, and in Atlanta. I am shocked for a short time at a mass shooting and then continue on.  I hate to admit that I’m unaware that at least 19,000 died by gun violence in the US last year, or is it 41,000? I’ve seen both reported. Thoughts and prayers are nice, but we need to force real change.

We don’t even properly track deaths caused by hate, lies, division with or without guns in our country. I believe that we should have better gun laws, but I’m not actively working in that area. Perhaps some readers are so focused. I think that is great and ask you to let me know ways I might provide some support.

There are enough problems in our country and world for individuals to specialize in different areas.  My primary driver is that human life is important, we are all created equal with rights to life, liberty, and happiness.  Protecting our environment and all life on the planet is just as critical.

We live in a country that sometimes seems to be rich in hate, lies, and division. I hope we are richer in truth, empathy, and love. Thanks for your small acts of kindness and large works to improve our country and planet. It is important.

We can all do somethingarticle about chronic stress on women

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