Life after the war in Dessie, Woldia and Lalibela
We flew from Addis Ababa to Kombolcha in the afternoon. There is a woman in a chair with a girl on the ticket number. She was completely enlarged. "I don't care," I said, sitting on the other chair.
She also looks out of place. Besides, coping with her newborn is an additional task, so she will not have time to talk to anyone else.
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| Dessie |
After the flight attendants offer us something to taste, "What do you have to drink?" We broke our silence. It was only after all this that she told me that she had migrated from Dessie to Addis Ababa when she was ten days old and was returning home in her fourth month.
She was in pain during the war around Dessie. She delivered her first child to Dessie Hospital, which was in full swing at the time, and returned home. But the war did not end there. He came closer to Dessie. On the tenth day after giving birth, she set out for Addis Ababa to save her own life and that of her son.
It was only available to Kombolcha by car. Then she had to walk the road. She increased her speed to escape the oncoming battle.
Undaunted, she traveled long distances. Coincidentally, she found a car and continued her journey to Mise. Still, the battle that had been raging against her was far ahead of her.
They could not pass because of the war that was allegedly started by OLF-Shen. They spent five hours in a car while being shot. Five hours later, they passed me by. In other cities, Mulu and her family arrived at Debre Berhan, facing similar challenges.
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| Mulu Asfaw |
As a result, it took her five days to reach Addis Ababa. During her five days on the road, she saw people dying and injured. You do not want to see her face again. That's why she chose to fly.
We arrived at Kombolcha Airport. We received our goods in a special way. He got off the plane and loaded onto a truck. He did not enter the reception area. We were picked up from the vehicle.
The reason is speculative. This may be due to the fact that the truck was not damaged by the war. We parted company.
We never spent much time in Kombolcha. We immediately started on our way to Dessie. I held the seat next to the driver, and my eyes widened in three directions to read the impact of the battle. Forward, left and right.
The twisting of the whirlwind of the war in both rounds was not a signal for us to look at. The road is just one thing less than the traffic I saw a year ago.
The Awash-Kombolcha-Hara Market railway project vehicles, which are normally congested, are not associated with Yapi Merkezi. I later learned from the project manager that the contractor had been robbed and sent to Turkey.
We approached Dessie, amazed at the Harago forest reserve. Before we could say good-bye to him, he saw the sign of war. A Z-23 hit and stood in the corner like a stick. As we passed by, we found a similarly damaged cannon.
As soon as we finished, we were escorted to the checkpoint at the intersection. As we passed the checkpoint, we found a petrol station lying on the island. The cabin collapsed and he leaned against the mountain that surrounded Dessie. There are various messages in black on the white background. It was reportedly diverted towards Dessie and may have been hit by a drone when the TPLF forces returned.
Dessie
After crossing the winding road, we reached the Dessie Gate. Dessie does not notice much difference at the entrance. The light poles are decorated with green, yellow and red. The green, yellow, and red smoke, which has become a hallmark of Dessie in recent years, is still in its infancy.
A short distance from the smoke, long-distance vehicles on the right side of the road unload their passengers. City taxis and badges, as usual, congested traffic. All shops are open. I could not find a bird in a closed house.
The bus station is overcrowded. Drivers call their customers from the lake to Kobo, Kombolcha to Mise. Although I looked at the left and the right, I could not see the object of the war in Dessie.
I later learned that the scars of war were in three places. One is in buildings, the second is in the human mind, and the third is in the human body.
The Golddenget Hotel, where we stayed, was looted and destroyed, but now it is in good repair. There is no television in all the rooms of the hotel. I asked the hosts. "The TPLF has robbed them all," they told me. Of course, the walls of the hotel testify to this. Each hotel room is marked with only a blank TV set.
The hotel offers major services. If we ask for an emergency service, the answer is usually the same. "Juntu destroyed it." This is often the case when the scars of war are covered by buildings.
Dessie at night
Dessie Day is bright. But you go to bed at night. Many services will be closed at three o'clock. The main road, which is normally congested, is empty at this time. The buildings on the left and right of the road will turn off the lights and the light for the main road will be reduced.
As a result, roads outside the main asphalt are dark. The movement of people and vehicles is very limited. Security forces occasionally appear in groups. The city looks very peaceful.
Dessie's timely sleep did not cause her to wake up in the morning. You get up early. The city begins to awaken after it reaches Dessie, where the eastern shore of Mount Tosa rises.
Before we said goodbye to Dessie, we went everywhere and took photographs and videos. No one tried to stop us. Our freedom was amazing. We ended our stay in Dessie without any special confrontation between the Defense Forces and the Special Forces.
Journey to Woldiya
Woldiya is 120 kilometers north of Dessie. Lake, Wuchale and Mersa are central towns between the two cities. In the center of the lake, the battlefield is clearly visible.
A cannon loaded on a long vehicle is no longer used. Another military water tanker is located in the same city. We did not have time to explore the city. The movement along the main road is typical.
As we walked out of town, we were hit by tanks and mortars. In the background, the local farmers do their farming. We climbed the steep hill and headed for Wergesa and Mersa. Woe to her, and she is seen standing here and there.
Libso is one of the few towns in the Habru district. She was also among the victims of the war. Probably the most memorable of the war cities.
When the TPLF forces returned from a defeat in North Shoa, locals ambushed them and opened fire on them. The heavy trucks they were carrying caught fire. But the fire did not stop.
He moved to the small side of the road, east of the road. Extensive damage to property and people. Cement and other commodities in the houses were reportedly burned to the ground.
A local resident told us that more than 10 people had died in the accident. He testified that not only the fire but also the militants were responsible for his death. It took us more than four hours to reach Woldia, as we stopped everywhere to see things like this. We arrived at Woldia around 9:00 p.m.
Woldia
Woldia is the center of more than a dozen North Wollo woredas. She was also a local mayor. Woldia is in many ways a key city.
It is one of the closest cities to the port of Djibouti. As a result, it is a gateway for most imports.
It is the heartland that connects North Tigray, East Afar, South Dessie and Addis Ababa, and West Bahir Dar and Gondar. Woldia was the first zonal town to fall to the TPLF as the northern war expanded to the south last summer.
As soon as I left my luggage at the hotel, I went out for a walk and toured the area. Woldia, whom I knew, has completely changed. The streets and squares, commonly known as 'piazza', have lost their shape.
It looked like a small football field, with no vehicles moving back and forth. Water is splashed on the ground to reduce the amount of dust that covers the left and right sides of the city. Even so, the buildings along the sidewalk could not be saved.
The road was under construction last year. He stopped the spread of the war. Although Woldiya has been in government hands for months, there is no indication that the rebuilding process has begun.
Even so, Woldia is struggling. Like Dessie, she is trying to be as active as possible. Public transport comes in from all directions; It comes out. Cafes line their chairs on the porch and serve their customers.
Woldia has a lamp. But by the time we left, it was gone. The hotel where we stayed had a generator. I returned to the hotel to find out what I had never seen in Dessie. It's the same. Here, too, is the TV set, not the TV. I know the answer, so I did not ask why.
The hotel staff told me earlier that all the hotel furniture had been looted and that the church that was now operating was hidden.
Journey to Lalibela
We arrived in Lalibela on Saturday afternoon. Saturday is usually market day. The shopkeeper is returning home with a sidewalk.
We exchanged greetings with merchants and shepherds, drank sugarcane, turned off the winding road, explored the mountainous region of Gedan, crossed the ancient city of Kul Field, crossed the Tekeze River, and walked through the Garden of Mary to the main road from Gashena-Lalibela-Sekota.
We passed by Nakuto to Father and came to the ancient city of King Lalibela. When we entered Lalibela, like any other Ethiopian city, we first met badgers.
Lalibela
We continued our journey, thinking of the completion of the asphalt road for the development of the city. But the asphalt did not last long. It is the entrance to the city, and the city center is still aspiring to asphalt.
It has been two months since Lalibela came under TPLF control. Basic water and electricity services have not yet begun. Larger hotels use a generator that runs from one to four o'clock at night.
We shortened our stay and headed for Lalibela so that we would not miss the Sabbath. We succeeded. In the morning we arrived at the former Temple of the Four Churches.
I had seen the Lalibela churches many times, but I still admired them as new visitors. Of course, this is a must for any Lalibela visitor.
It was a Sabbath day, and because it was the beginning of the fast, a large crowd attended. The Lalibela Church, which used to be crowded with foreigners, is no longer a tourist attraction. This is because of the cholera epidemic and the war zone for eight months.
Lalibela is a direct or indirect source of income for tourism. The plague and the war overtook her. Residents described the situation as "devastating and deadly."
Due to the two events, tourism resources, which could not be quantified, could not reach the pockets of every resident. As a result, many things seem to have changed.
When young people see a new person, they want to be the best guide. Those who sell crosses, traditional sculptures, and other decorations often beg customers to buy them. Everyone tries to get as many as five or five guests to help. But where does a stranger come from?
The first direct users of Lalibela Tourism are hotels and tours. Lalibela hotels, which occasionally host guests following the outbreak, are said to have been looted by TPLF forces after the war.
Two months after the government recaptured the area, they were unable to regroup and remained locked. Roha, Mountain View and Ben Ababa hotels are mentioned in this category.
It has been months since the traditional nightclubs that have been performing 'Alemye Sora' come and go.
Residents say only Lalibela mules have benefited from the war and the epidemic. Lalibela mules, who used to carry visitors to the Abune Yosef and Ashton Mountains, said goodbye when the rest of the season began. No visitor!
Residents of Lalibela divide their time under TPLF forces into two phases. The first is that they spent four months and they say "thank you".
The second is the so-called "hard time" once again after a week of independence. Residents consider it a good thing that the TPLF forces are not at war when they enter or leave Lalibela. Most residents believe that this is because "St. Lalibela has prevented them from shooting."
The first four months are not so bad. "Our sisters have been raped, our brothers have been killed, our property has been looted.
Four months later, on December 3, 2014, government forces took control of Lalibela. The crowd came out and rejoiced. Youths marched from village to village to gather food for the security forces. But they continued for a week.
One week later, TPLF fighters recaptured Lalibela. According to residents, this was a difficult time for Lalibela. "They betrayed us for four months," he said. In fact, they only stayed in Lalibela for a week. According to residents, the damage has not been done in four months.
Lalibela is now working hard to do her best. All residents want the tourist flow to return. Many things seem to be in order to do that. But two issues still need to be addressed: Light and water.
We have completed our journey from Dessie to Lalibela and are returning to Addis Ababa. I called her. She spoke to me in a calm manner. She returned to her home [lake] and began working.
She had just left Dessie, so she did not have time to hide her belongings or prepare food for the trip. When she was in Addis Ababa, she told me that it was her sister who had given her a change of clothes. She returned home with the same message.
When she arrived home, she found nothing. But at the very least, she considers herself lucky to have had the opportunity to give birth in a hospital and save her life. Her baby is now in her fifth month. 'Give her something to eat,' she said. She told me that it means "God sent her to save us."
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