Amid escalating conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray, the Ministry of Education announced that students would not be placed in Universities in Tigray, describing it as a “temporary” measure. The direction appears to be to close these institutions. Minister Birhanu Nega and his deputy, Kindeya G., former President of Mekelle University, informed Tigrayan university students gathered at the Ministry of Education in Addis Ababa that they and other students would be assigned to other universities. The minister also stated to the media that academic staff from universities in the Tigray region would be transferred to other institutions across the country. The region contains four universities, each with multiple campuses, serving thousands of students, academic staff, and administrative and support personnel.
It is alarming that some people are also supporting the Ministry’s directive by claiming these institutions have become bases for weapons and soldiers engaged in conflict with the federal army, whether identified as Tigray Defence Forces or TPLF soldiers, depending on each person’s political positionality.
Campaigning for universities, schools, and places of worship to remain free from military occupation and armaments is both appropriate and mandated by international law. This responsibility applies to all parties involved. Remember, the federal army was previously stationed at schools and universities in Tigray during the genocidal war on Tigray from 2020 to 2022, and similar practices have been observed in other regions of Ethiopia.
However, rather than addressing the actions of armed groups occupying civilian institutions and infrastructure, issuing warnings and campaigning to close universities is a highly damaging measure for the people of Tigray. This decision reflects a disregard for the welfare of the already affected population.
If the primary concern is the safety of students and staff during military confrontations, it is important to note that few regions in Ethiopia are entirely free from conflict. It is unclear why Tigray is considered more dangerous than other regions, such as Amhara.
If the objective is to prevent the stationing of armed forces and weapons, all parties must comply, and this requires coordinated local and international pressure. However, employing this rationale to justify university closures intentionally harms Tigray; it is a continuation of the broader anti-Tigray hostility far beyond fighting against the TPLF.
This measure will result in widespread forced migration and internal displacement, particularly among youth and the educated workforce, as individuals are compelled to leave due to unemployment and economic insecurity.
Closing universities will put surrounding communities at risk of severe food insecurity. While some academic staff may secure positions elsewhere, most support and administrative personnel face significant challenges finding alternative employment and supporting their families.
Urban households’ livelihoods, once subsidised by what they sell to students and university communities, and the economic activity generated by transportation, will be eroded. Public offices will also lose significant tax revenue as a result. Many small-scale businesses will be closed.
University-affiliated high schools that admit and teach outstanding middle school students will close.
Students and teachers from across Ethiopia represent a valuable asset to the people of Tigray, serving as witnesses to unfolding events. Their presence has enabled the documentation of past occurrences, with many academic staff collaborating with international researchers to produce credible articles and book chapters on the genocide and devastation they observed. Closing the universities would prevent similar documentation in future conflicts and casualties, and would contribute to the erasure of collective narrative and memory.
Furthermore, whether active conflict persists or a state of unresolved tension remains, this decision or policy by the federal ministry of education and its active campaigners, including some from Tigray who fight against the TPLF, perpetuates the perception of Tigray as a permanent war zone for outsiders and fosters fear and trauma among residents. It is an entirely irresponsible policy that will turn Tigray’s cities into ghost towns. The local tourism economy, which previously generated meagre revenue, will also collapse entirely.
Perhaps, since everything is being closed and destroyed, it is the TPLFites who are increasingly being emboldened to fight comfortably, assuming that there is no one sheltering in the universities to criticise their actions, that those who write on social media with primary information are far away, and that the remaining people who have no option to migrate from the region will be forced, out of necessity to survive, to join the TPLF in fighting the federal government. However, this brings no good news to either those who initiated the closures or the people of Tigray.