SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Learn more.

Date of Incident: December 20, 2021

Attack Types: Other

Institution(s):Woldia University

Region & Country:Eastern Africa | Ethiopia

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On December 20, 2021, it was reported that militants with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) had raided, looted, and damaged Woldia University (also written as “Woldiya University”).

The incident reportedly occur after TPLF militants arrived in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, amid armed conflict with government forces. Woldia University, among others, shut down in November due to the conflict.

Sources described and showed in photos classrooms, laboratories, administrative offices, and other university facilities looted and vandalized.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about armed groups raiding, looting, and vandalizing a higher education institution. Parties to a conflict must refrain from targeting, using, or destroying higher education institutions, among other civilian objects.

Sources:
https://www.ena.et/en/?p=32100
https://press.et/herald/?p=51079
https://www.fanabc.com/english/terrorist-tplf-wrecks-woldia-university-woldia-specialized-hospital/
https://www.fanabc.com/english/terrorist-tplf-inflicts-over-6-billion-birr-damage-to-woldia-university
https://waltainfo.com/ministry-needs-19-bln-birr-to-restore-tplf-damaged-universities/
https://addisstandard.com/news-more-than-1-2-million-students-out-of-school-due-to-ongoing-war-in-ethiopia-ministry/