Mekelle University in consultation with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and UN offices in Mekelle and Addis Ababa proceeded with logistic preparations and the actual effort to transport 4,896 students via Abe’ala

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A press release on existing situation of students at Mekelle University

Mekelle University in consultation with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and UN  offices in Mekelle and Addis Ababa proceeded with logistic preparations and the actual effort to  transport 4,896 students via Abe’ala (Afar Region) on Sunday July 18,2021. The preparations to  move such a huge number of students, and to execute the plan were made in the absence of  banking services, telephone or any other means of communication, and when there is critical  shortage of fuel in the city of Mekelle.  

As per the plan, on the morning of Sunday July 18,2021, 10 buses with students managed to  reach Abe’ala. Up on arrival on the borders, representatives of UN who escorted the buses  received an order to return from the Afar Region Special Forces. When a telephone call was  made to reach the delegate of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education who was expected to  be at the site to receive the students, the response was “I am now at Samara city.” The delegate  confirmed buses that were supposed to be readily on standby at Abe’ala, by the ministry, for  transferring the students to Addis Ababa are not available. The UN observers decided the buses  return to Mekelle and the entire plan be cancelled.  

Currently, our university is in such a situation that its bank accounts are blocked, our budget for  June 2021 has not been transferred from the federal government, and the budget for the fiscal  year [July 2021,22] is not yet released. Moreover, with more than 10,000 undergraduate students  in campuses, no purchase of food supplies can be made due to the absence of bank services, and  we have run out of the food stock. This has created a tense situation. The food support from  Adigrat University and Raya University will not last beyond July 27,2021. As a result of the  blockage of the institutional bank account and failure of the budget transfer, we are unable to pay  salary of our 7,500 employees after the month of June. In general, the telecom services  shutdown, internet disconnection, power cuts and blocking of fuel transport in Tigray has highly  affected the activities of our institution.  

With the existing challenges, neither can our institution keep the students in such a situation; nor  can it transport those who came from out of Tigray. Hence, we have requested the Ministry of  Science and Higher Education (Via a letter Ref. No. MU PO1 1079/13) to create possibilities for  institutional access to money, or to send buses to Mekelle to transport the students out of Tigray.  In the letter, we have clearly stated that our university will facilitate the required guarantee for  safety of bus drivers and their vehicles from the Tigray Regional Government, and for UN  observers to escort the convoy.  

We have clearly stated on the letters to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the  Ministry of Finance, if they do not manage to transport the students urgently, or if they fail to transfer money to our university by July 27, 2021, our institution will not be able to take  responsibility for the students.