ADDIS ABABA, 02 August 2021, (TON): For nearly nine months, thousands of Ethiopian parents have been living in agony over the fate of their children who remain stranded in various universities across the conflict-hit Tigray region.

Several universities in the northern region warned in late July of facing challenges to feed the students and guarantee their safety, putting pressure on the federal and regional governments, as well as the United Nations, to act.

The 54-year-old woman said “my daughter is in medical school in Adigrat and was set to graduate in just a year, I have not heard from her and I am in pain.”

“The constant worry of her safety is becoming overwhelming and her father has become bed-ridden with depression and anxiety.”

The region of some six million people currently has no functioning banks and no electricity, while internet and phone communication have been cut off. There has been frequent suspension of services, as well as road and airport closures, since fighting between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) began in early November last year.

The deteriorating conflict has seen both sides trade accusations of serious abuses, including massacres, with neither showing any desire for compromise.