Over 7,000 schools damaged in Tigray war – minister

The war in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region has forced more than 1.42 million students out of school and damaged more than 7,000 schools, the country’s education minister says.

Getahun Mekuria said neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions had also been affected as the fighting had spread to these regions:

As a result of #TPLF futile war in northern #Ethiopia in Tigray, Afar and Amhara regions, more than 7,000 schools have been fully (some partially) damaged, more than 1.42M students have been out of school already (in #Tigray) or will be out of school (in Afar, Amhara). Very sad pic.twitter.com/6sB27aK0Pr

— Dr.-Ing. Getahun Mekuria (@DrGetahun) August 30, 2021

Already, hundreds of schools in Amhara and Afar had been vandalised in the fighting of the past few month, he said.

A great deal of infrastructure in the region has been damaged in the 10-month war.

Thousands of people have been killed, millions others displaced with hundreds of thousands others requiring humanitarian assistance.