Following the outbreak of conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region in November 2020, academics of Tigrayan ethnicity faced widespread and systematic persecution. At Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia’s flagship higher education institution, dozens of Tigrayan professors reported ethnic profiling, surveillance, and intimidation. By December 2020, at least 20 Tigrayan academics had been placed on indefinite administrative leave without formal charges or due process.

In January 2021, reports emerged of Tigrayan academics being detained at informal holding facilities in Addis Ababa. Professor Mehari Yohannes of Mekelle University’s College of Law was detained for three months without charge. Dr. Lilay Hailemariam, from Addis Ababa University’s Medical Faculty, was held incommunicado for weeks before being released without explanation.

Travel restrictions specifically targeted Tigrayan academics, who were prevented from attending international conferences or taking up visiting positions abroad. Airport security officials reportedly maintained lists of Tigrayan names, and several professors were removed from flights despite having valid travel documents.

At Mekelle University in Tigray, the situation was even more dire. The university campus suffered extensive damage during military operations, with laboratories looted and dormitories bombed. When telecommunications were cut to the region, Tigrayan academics were completely isolated from international academic networks. Many faculty members were displaced to refugee camps in Sudan, while others reported hiding in rural areas to avoid targeted violence.

By 2022, an estimated 70% of Tigrayan academics had been forced to abandon their positions, representing one of the most severe attacks on an academic community in recent African history.