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Toronto – As Israel is intensifying airstrikes on Lebanon (the latest one was earlier today), Ethiopians stranded in the country are calling for help to leave the country.
Ethiopians living in the country have shared their experiences with VOA Amharic.
Selamawit Girma has been living in Dehaye, South Lebanon – a city that is mostly populated by Shi Muslims, for six years. It is one of the towns that the Israel airstrike is targeting.
Selamawit recounted experience following the start of the Israeli attack on Hezbollah about two weeks ago. Many buildings were reduced to rubbles.
“During the first day of the explosion it felt like there was an earthquake. We thought the building itself[where she lives] was hit. We were calm after we were on the ground and learned about the situation. The same night they sent a text message. we were told ‘those of you within 500 meters distance evacuate.’ It was night time. we did not have anywhere to go…without prior arrangement you can not go anywhere. Therefore we slept outside. It was around 9 p.m.” VOA Amharic quoted her as saying.
Selamawit added that they evacuated with only the cloth they were wearing ; and did not have any sleep since then.
There was an airstrike in the place they (She and her friends) evacuated from and could not return back to see it. “we can not even think about returning to the place,” she added.
She says her life in Lebanon has been challenging but not like the one she has been facing since the Israel strike in the past few weeks.
Mesewat, an Ethiopian Association, has been supporting Selamawit for the past 10 days, according to VOA Amharic report.
She said Ethiopians from her city are not sure as to where to go. “There are many people in the Embassy. We wanted to go there but the noise is disturbing there too…the embassy [Ethiopian consulate] is not far from Dehaye,” she added.
Hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians are in similar circumstances.
Banchi, founder of the “Egna Legna” organization, highlighted the situations of other Ethiopians. “There are those who work as a nanny and are displaced along with their employers. There are those who were locked up by their employers and supported by Red Cross and other Aid organizations. There are also those whose employers dumped them with an employment agency…”
From the VOA Amharic report, there was also an Ethiopian woman who gave birth in the course of evacuation.
The agony Ethiopians in Lebanon are going through is indescribable, according to Banchi. She is asking the Ethiopian government to arrange ways to immediately repatriate Ethiopians.
The Ministry for foreign Affairs of Ethiopia has not released an update on the situations of Ethiopians.
On Thursday, the Ethiopian consulate in Lebanon announced a call for registration but it is for updating records purpose
“The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia is committed to providing comprehensive services to its citizens in Lebanon, in line with its policy of citizen-centered diplomacy …As part of this effort, we have initiated a complete registration process to update our records and better serve our citizens in Lebanon,” it said.
The Ethiopian airlines on Friday announced that it is temporarily suspending flights to Lebanon and Israel.
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Abiy Ahmed is depleting Ethiopian treasures and savagely ruining the Ethiopian economy in order to massacre its own people and prolong his days. He is required to use taxes to support and save lives, as well as to securely return those hardworking Ethiopian ladies from Lebanon. They are burning like candles to support their families and contribute to the Ethiopian economy in a variety of ways.