Rafael Mitchell
@rafaelmitchell.bsky.social
Senior Lecturer in Comparative and International Education, University of Bristol | Co-Director of CIRE | BAICE | Schooling in Africa, democratising knowledge in education
Since August, there's been an escalation in airstrikes in Tigray. The resumption of hostilities in northern Ethiopia heightens concerns about unlawful attacks and the grave threat posed to civilians. HRW's Laetitia Bader spoke to BBC News' Focus on Africa:
As I pointed out yesterday, communications have been severed across much of Tigray. The UN and HRW were for now, able to contact sources and obtain data for their reports, but things will become much more difficult going forward. There is great reason to be afraid for civilians.
Zecharias Zelalem@zekuzelalem.bsky.social · 2w agoUPDATE: As war rages on in Ethiopia, @netblocks.org has confirmed what it calls a "subnational internet disruption," in the country's north. Phone/internet is disrupted across the Tigray region. A very bad sign. Comms blackouts in our region are typically implemented when atrocities are planned.
RE: AIRSTRIKES Two reports highlighting aerial crimes vis a vis the new conflict in Ethiopia were published today. First, @hrw.org looked at visual evidence into the Aug 20th Ethiopian airstrike that injured a dozen civilians in the city of Mekele and found no valid military targets.
Ethiopia: Indiscriminate Airstrike in Tigray
An apparent Ethiopian government airstrike on a residential compound in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region on August 20, 2026, should be investigated as a possible war crime, Human Rights Watch said to...
hrw.org
‘Probe Ethiopia’s Tigray Airstrike as War Crime,’ HRW An apparent #Ethiopian airstrike on a residential compound in #Tigray on Aug 20, should be investigated as a possible war crime, Human Rights Watch said today. The attack wounded 13 civilians, inc seven children. 🖇️ www.hrw.org/news/2026/09...
Today, power & internet down across Tigray, and there is a return to fighting between federal and regional forces. Estimated 600,000 died in the 2020-2022 civil war, and pubic services, welfare and industry never recovered.
UN Voices Concern Over Rising Insecurity, Drone Strikes In Ethiopia Stéphane Dujarric: “We’re deeply concerned by the worsening security situation and recent developments in #Ethiopia, including the formation of a new coalition of armed groups and reports of continued insecurity and drone strikes.”
There is limited international awareness of the crisis affecting over 6 mill people in #Tigray, Ethiopia. The Civil War led to economic collapse, mass displacement and widespread trauma and hardship across the region. The impact on education has been catastrophic. www.ukfiet.org/2026/restori...
Restoring the right to education: Research for post-war reconstruction in Tigray, Ethiopia
There is very limited international awareness of the crisis affecting over 6 million people in Tigray, Ethiopia. The Civil War (2020-2022) has led to economic collapse…
ukfiet.org
There is limited international awareness of the crisis affecting over 6 mill people in #Tigray, Ethiopia. The Civil War led to economic collapse, mass displacement and widespread trauma and hardship across the region. The impact on education has been catastrophic. www.ukfiet.org/2026/restori...
Restoring the right to education: Research for post-war reconstruction in Tigray, Ethiopia
There is very limited international awareness of the crisis affecting over 6 million people in Tigray, Ethiopia. The Civil War (2020-2022) has led to economic collapse…
ukfiet.org
There is very limited international awareness of the crisis affecting over 6 million people in #Tigray, Ethiopia. The Civil War (2020-2022) has led to economic collapse, mass displacement and widespread trauma and hardship across the region. www.ukfiet.org/2026/restori...
Restoring the right to education: Research for post-war reconstruction in Tigray, Ethiopia
There is very limited international awareness of the crisis affecting over 6 million people in Tigray, Ethiopia. The Civil War (2020-2022) has led to economic collapse…
ukfiet.org
#Tigray Teachers' Association says unpaid salaries pushing teachers into severe hardship, urges national body to intervene addisstandard.com/tigray-teach...
addisstandard.com
"Any future political project in Tigray will ultimately depend not only on institutions and borders but also on whether water continues to flow, soils remain productive, electricity functions, and landscapes sustain human life." Jan Nyssen in Addis Standard addisstandard.com/between-resi...
addisstandard.com
What are the Government, police and security services doing about the people who are quite clearly in the pay of a hostile foreign state, and using their platforms to whip up actual pogroms on our streets? This is a major national security issue and absolutely nothing seems to be happening about it
New Open Access article by colleagues at Mekelle University reveals the devastation of the school system in #Tigray, Ethiopia caused by the Civil War, and the role of local researchers in post-war recovery. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Policy–research partnerships for post-war reconstruction of education in Tigray, Ethiopia: the role of local university-based researchers
This article draws on the experiences of university-based researchers involved in the post-war reconstruction of education in Tigray, Ethiopia. Based on experiences following the 2020–2022 civil wa...
tandfonline.com
As Ethiopia is heading to the polls, the #Tigray region won't be participating in the vote for the second time, with tensions simmering on. www.dw.com/en/ethiopia-...
Ethiopia election 2026: Tigray excluded and on edge
As Ethiopia is heading to the polls, the Tigray region won't be participating in the vote for the second time, with tensions simmering on. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his Prosperity Party meanwhile ...
dw.com
New Open Access article by colleagues at Mekelle University reveals the devastation of the school system in #Tigray, Ethiopia caused by the Civil War, and the role of local researchers in post-war recovery. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Policy–research partnerships for post-war reconstruction of education in Tigray, Ethiopia: the role of local university-based researchers
This article draws on the experiences of university-based researchers involved in the post-war reconstruction of education in Tigray, Ethiopia. Based on experiences following the 2020–2022 civil wa...
tandfonline.com
Ethiopia Heads to the Polls, But Not Everyone Can Vote Ethiopia’s general election takes place on Monday as conflict rages in parts of the country, meaning many people will not be able to vote. In fact, the whole northern region of #Tigray, has been totally excluded from the poll.
Ethiopia election: The country heads to the polls, but not everyone can vote
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's party is expected to dominate the election as conflicts overshadow the vote.
bbc.com
The BBC goes with “slapped” and “hit” as a sub-headline, choosing to ignore “15 cases of sexual assaults, including rape. Shot with rubber bullets at close range. Tens of people's bones broken." www.bbc.com/news/article...
Gaza flotilla activists allege abuse by Israeli forces while detained
The detainees say they were slapped, hit, humiliated and even subjected to sexual violence, but Israel's prison service says the allegations are false.
bbc.com
We talk about not only the violence inflicted on Tigrayans, but also the politics of visibility, silence, and international response in the face of mass atrocity and genocide. Listen to the full episode here: soundcloud.com/niod_rewind_...
NIOD Rewind Episode 48 - Genocide in Tigray: Assault on the Womb, Starvation and Censorship
What is happening in Tigray? In this episode Anne van Mourik speaks with Teklehaymanot (Tekle) Weldemichael (University of Manchester) about the strong evidence that Ethiopia committed genocide in Tig
soundcloud.com
Are we teaching English if students are silent + not allowed to articulate ideas? This blog shares one teacher's experience of a curriculum imposed from above. EMC view: English this ain't! @warwickmansell.bsky.social @natecommunity.bsky.social @englishassociation.bsky.social tinyurl.com/5a9anapp
How English pupils are being silenced in lessons
An English teacher sets out how he is required to teach by his senior leaders - and what it is doing to students
englishandmedia.co.uk
Think using a chatbot makes your work better? Think again. 1/3
It's my understanding that many rural schools in Tigray have now closed because they can't pay their staff. The Ethiopian government suspended the budget to Tigray back in October 2025. addisstandard.com/news-tigray-...
addisstandard.com
Study by health researchers in 2024 found that starvation was the leading cause of death in Tigray, Ethiopia after the 2022 ceasefire link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Starvation remains the leading cause of death in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, after the Pretoria deal: a call for expedited action - BMC Public Health
Background People in war-affected areas are more likely to experience excess mortality with hunger. However, information on the causes of death associated with hunger is often nonexistent. The purpose...
link.springer.com
Why Tigray’s Industrial Heart Has Failed to Restart Three years after the Pretoria Agreement, the expected ‘peace dividend’ has vanished. Trapped between a liquidity crisis and political deadlock, #Tigray’s economy is not just stalling – it is disintegrating.
Ethiopia: Why Tigray’s industrial heart has failed to restart
Three years after the Pretoria Agreement, the expected ‘peace dividend’ has vanished. Trapped between a liquidity crisis and political deadlock, Tigray’s economy is not just stalling – it is disintegr...
theafricareport.com
Meanwhile, in the Horn of Africa: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said his country does not want war, even as regional Tigray authorities say federal forces are massing around the northern region, raising fears of renewed conflict.
How did Ethiopia get away with the mass murder of close to a million Tigrayans? In my latest piece for @theconversation.com, I examine the tactics the Ethiopian regime and its allies used to conceal the genocide in Tigray, and evade accountability. theconversation.com/how-to-get-a...
How to get away with mass murder: 4 tactics Ethiopia used to hide Tigray atrocities from the world
The violence in Tigray was structured, targeted and sustained.
theconversation.com
The Tigray crisis remains largely invisible to the world. "Factors such as race and the peripherality of the region made the Tigray conflict a blind spot in global geopolitics. But these explanations are not sufficient." In @uk.theconversation.com by @tekgw.bsky.social: bit.ly/4qvJzux
How to get away with mass murder: 4 tactics Ethiopia used to hide Tigray atrocities from the world
The violence in Tigray was structured, targeted and sustained.
bit.ly
UN Rights Chief Calls for Urgent De‑escalation In #Tigray Volker Türk: “The situation remains highly volatile, and we fear it will further deteriorate. There must be concerted and sustained efforts by all parties, with the help of the int’l community, to de-escalate tensions before it is too late.”
Ethiopia: Türk urges restraint and steps towards de-escalation amid volatility in Tigray
GENEVA – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Tuesday called on all parties to take urgent steps towards de-escalation, amid the precarious situation in the Tigray region.Recent fighti...
ohchr.org
