From November 2020 to November 2022, a violent war involving different Ethiopian and Tigrayan groups caused widespread deaths, devastation and destruction in my home region. Some say a million people died; international organisations say 600,000. Many in my family and area died.
In China, I watched from a distance, following the horrifying events on the internet.
I was very active in expressing my opinions on social media. I extended my PhD study for a year, fearing for my safety if I returned home, knowing nowhere was safe.
In China, the students who graduated in July 2020 asked the UNHCR for asylum but were rejected. Many in the same position as me went to Rwanda but could stay there for only a year. I also learnt that it was not possible to ask for asylum in China.
In November 2022, the government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) signed an agreement, the Pretoria Agreement, to end the war. In July 2024, I decided to go home, thinking it safe to return to my province. On the second day, I was arrested by the TPLF. They questioned me for 20 days and then released me. I knew I had to leave.
My mum knew someone who helped me. I left to Addis Ababa the next day. I returned to China for my 8th year to continue my post-doctoral work. I could not stay indefinitely in China so I applied for international conferences to attend. The first to accept my application was the University of Queensland in Brisbane. I left there after a week to come to Mebourne where, I had been told, I would find more services and support. It was not easy, after all those years, leaving my post-doc work. It is very hard starting a whole new life. For me, however, number one is safety. I am safe here.
The full version of Desta’s story, as told to Delia Bradshaw, can be found in the August 2025 BASP newsletter.