Tigray war survivor says ‘They’re raping women and burning homes’

“I ran to safety and now I don’t know if my family are dead or alive.” This is the daily anguish suffered Lewam Hailem who fled a conflict described by some analysts as more bloody than that playing out in Ukraine.

The 28-year-old fled Tigray, a region in Ethiopia, to Birmingham a year ago when the conflict tore through the East African region. Lewam details witnessing military personnel burn crops, rape women and shoot civilians.

The two-year conflict has left Tigray in a ‘communications blackout’ and isolated from the rest of the world, with the government severing basic services such as electricity, phone, internet and banking. While United Nations-backed investigators last month said all sides, including the Tigray forces had committed abuses, they said the Ethiopian government was using “starvation of civilians” as a weapon of war.

Lewam was granted refugee status after reaching the UK and settling in Birmingham but is still ‘traumatised’ by the horrors seen in her home country. She said: “The troops stormed where we were burning down houses. They burned down the farmer’s crops leaving us without food.

Aid relief operated by USAID, Catholic Relief Services and the Relief Society of Tigray distribute food (Image: Getty Images)

“We didn’t have time to pack things or say goodbye, I just ran. We all ran to find safety.

“We couldn’t even film what was happening because if they caught you, you’d be shot immediately. I saw dead bodies in Tigray and although I’m safe, I’m still in pain and traumatised. This genocide is happening in the dark. We need people to know people are being killed.”

Born in the region, Tigray had always been a safe haven for Lewam. She and her family lived peacefully while she did her schooling before seeking asylum in the UK.

After being separated from her family, Lewam hasn’t heard from them for a year and fears they’re hurt or dead. She said: “I don’t know if my parents or little siblings are dead or alive and I don’t know when I’ll ever hear from them again.

“We’re being slaughtered because of our ethnicity. The people left in Tigray don’t have access to proper medical care, food or safety. Just bombing, shooting and burning are all they are experiencing.

“I was lucky to get out but now I want to fight for my family and people to just live in peace.” The conflict started when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military offensive against regional forces in Tigray. He said he did so in response to an attack on a military base housing government troops.

The escalation came after months of feuding between Mr Abiy’s government and leaders of Tigray’s dominant political party. Mr Ahmed was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for ending his country’s stalemate with neighbouring Eritrea.

Tigray campaigner Leandre Gebrakedan fled Ethiopia when she was five during the country’s 17-year civil war during the 1980s. After decades of peace, Leandra fears all the work to achieve stability has been ruined in two years.

Leandra speaking at Tigray conflict protest in Birmingham

Leandra, who represents the West Midlands effort to raise awareness, said: “I have aunts, uncles and cousins I would talk to often but since the communication blackout a year-and-a-half ago, I don’t know if they’re dead or alive.

“This is why we must fight for the peace and freedom of our brothers and sisters in Tigray. Our pain deserves the same attention as those fleeing Ukraine, Afghanistan and Rwanda. We just want peace and support.”

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