By Habte H.
In recent years, a shocking and heart-breaking trend has emerged: thousands of young Ethiopians are risking their lives by making the perilous journey to countries like Yemen. These are not ordinary migration routes driven by opportunity – they are “death routes” through deserts, warzones, and seas. One must ask: Why would anyone knowingly choose such a path?
The answer lies not in their destination but in what they are fleeing from.
A Government Drunk on Its Own Propaganda
Prosperity Party (PP) leader, Abiy Ahmed, proudly boasts in Parliament that Ethiopians are living better than ever. He showcases glittering numbers, smiling statistics, and flashy projects – insisting that development is accelerating, and prosperity is just around the corner. But these claims are illusions, inflated by data that has been manufactured, manipulated, or misrepresented.
Abiy appears to be living in a self-constructed echo chamber – surrounded by praise singers and fake activists who reinforce his fantasies rather than challenge them. These actors feed his ego while Ethiopians face rising poverty, inflation, food insecurity, and hopelessness. The Prime Minister may have convinced himself of success, but the people know otherwise.
The Collapse of Hope: Why the Youth Are Fleeing?
The root of this exodus is despair. Today’s young Ethiopians are not merely looking for jobs abroad – they are running away from a system that has betrayed them. Under the PP and Abiy’s rule, Ethiopia has become a place where education, hard work, and integrity no longer lead to a better life. Instead, survival depends on loyalty, silence, and connections.
From urban centers to rural villages, hope is dying. University graduates roam the streets jobless. Government employees are underpaid, underfed, and increasingly humiliated – some reportedly begging or living off food scraps. Teachers, doctors, and civil servants – the backbone of any functioning society – are demoralized and broken.
Even students, once full of ambition, now ask: “What’s the point?” They see no future in a country that does not value their skills or safeguard their dignity. Families sell what little they have to finance the journey to the Middle East, even knowing that many never return.
And yet, for many, risking death feels less terrifying than facing life in Ethiopia.
The Yemen Tragedy: A Symbol of National Failure
Yemen is not a land of opportunity. It is a war-torn country with a devastated economy, rampant insecurity, and deep humanitarian crises. That young Ethiopians choose Yemen as their escape speaks volumes. It shows how desperate things have become in Ethiopia. The mere possibility of menial work in a failed state has become more appealing than staying home.
It also reveals the moral bankruptcy of the current leadership. How can a government that claims to lead a “prosperous nation” stand by while its youth throw themselves into death zones? Why isn’t this treated as a national emergency?
Instead of addressing the root causes – unemployment, corruption, inflation, repression – Abiy’s administration diverts attention with mega-events, construction projects, and grand speeches. None of these touch the lives of ordinary citizens. None of them restore dignity or hope.
Ethiopia Deserves Better
Ethiopia is a proud and ancient nation with a history of resilience. But under Abiy Ahmed’s leadership, it is losing its soul. Hope, truth, and national unity have been traded for propaganda, ego, and fear. The country is at its breaking point – not just economically, but morally and spiritually.
It is time for Abiy and the PP to acknowledge their failure. They must step aside and allow space for a leadership that puts people before image, service before self, and truth before deception. Ethiopia cannot afford another year of misrule, let alone another decade.
The mass migration of Ethiopian youth to deadly destinations is not just a migration crisis – it is a national alarm. An alarm that tells us the people no longer believe in their leaders, in their systems, or in their future.
And when the people no longer believe, change becomes not only necessary – but inevitable.
Editor’s Note : Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com
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