perhaps
Ethiopia was the first African nation to join the League of Nations, is one of the oldest nations in the world, and has been called “a museum of peoples” due to its long and diverse history. And over the last decade, large numbers of Ethiopians have decided to migrate in the hope of finding a better life.
Although Ethiopia’s economy has been blooming in the new millenia, its growth has not been fast enough to accommodate the significant amount of young people ready to enter the workforce. Because 71% of Ethiopian’s population is below the age of 30, there was a surge of young adults who wanted to start their lives - and weren’t able to. These young people may also have left due to resentment over their government’s decision to limit their access to information. In the 2010s, Ethiopia was acknowledged as the fourth-most censored country in the world. The degradation of human rights and political freedoms in Ethiopia has prompted some of its people to find a freer home. These factors are compounded by a recent, climate-change-induced drought, which has brought food scarcity to many Ethiopian families.
These migrants have taken hard journeys to reach their destinations. Finding residence in new countries often requires an unimaginably long and hot journey through North African and Middle Eastern deserts, as well as traveling through hostile territories. The difficulty of these travels is a testament to the strength of these Ethiopians desires to seek new, more hopeful lives.
Like many things, these new, more hopeful lives have been turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic. When the virus began to spread globally, the Saudi Arabian government decided to deport 2,870 Ethiopian migrants, and they have expressed the desire to deport a total of 200,000 Ethiopians. Their other Arab neighbors, as well as some African nations such as Kenya, have also joined to deport many of the Ethiopians who have made their home among them.
Understandably, this has also resulted in a very unhealthy situation for Ethiopia. COVID-19 had already begun to spread in Saudi Arabia when the Ethiopian migrants were sent back, and, as they travelled together in very crowded planes, which makes it easier for the sickness to spread. The returned migrants have been put into quarantine for fourteen days, in separate buildings including colleges emptied for this purpose.
This is on top of Ethiopia’s recent problems. Ethiopia has also had an outbreak of yellow fever in the south of the country, and having an even wider food scarcity due to pandemic disruptions.
Although testing is very limited, Ethiopia reports 116 cases of COVID-19, and only three deaths. Ethiopia has also recently received a loan of 145 million dollars from the International Monetary Fund. 7 Perhaps the pandemic will stay at bay, and this money may reach Ethiopia’s people in a life-giving way.
And perhaps the once-migrants may again find home.