The 14-month long civil war in Ethiopia has seen ethnic Tigrayans fearing for their lives. With reports of people being detained for no reason, starved, beaten, and even killed, many Tigrayans are willing to do whatever it takes to escape the country. For those employed by flag carrier Ethiopian Airlines, stowing away is proving to be one risk they are willing to take.

Stowing away to get out of the country

The civil unrest in Ethiopia is taking its toll on society, with reports of human rights abuses, drone bombings, and extreme food shortages. The most vilified in this have been the Tigrayans, whose Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) – a former political party – is now classed as a terrorist group by the government.

The TPLF has issued warnings of atrocities being committed against the Tigrayans, some even calling it genocide. Since the start of the civil war, thousands of Tigrayans and other Ethiopians have fled the country, with more than 50,000 arriving in neighboring Sudan as of mid-December. But not all who wanted to leave have found it easy to do so.

A report today in CNN describes how some Ethiopians are going to extreme measures to escape the violence and harsh conditions at home. Specifically, the report details how two ground technicians employed with Ethiopian Airlines endured cramped and freezing conditions to stow away on a cargo plane in order to seek asylum overseas.

The two workers, who haven’t been named to protect their identity, climbed into the storage section of a cargo-converted Ethiopian Airlines Airbus A350 in the early hours of December 4^th, 2021. There, they waited for more than three hours in the cold, secreted behind crew luggage and crates loaded with roses bound for Europe. Speaking to CNN, one of the stowaways said,

"We took the risk. We were -- we had no choice, we had no choice, we couldn't live in Addis Ababa, we were being treated as terrorists."

The pair made it to Belgium, spending seven hours in the air with no food or water and in freezing conditions. They had nothibg with them, not even their cellphones, and only the uniforms they were wearing. Both have successfully claimed asylum in Belgium.

Not the first

The story of the two ground crew hiding away is one of many that have been uncovered by CNN and other publications. Just days before, on December 1^st, another pair of airline employees concealed themselves onboard an international flight in order to be free of the country.

These workers found a hiding place in the ceiling above the seats of the Boeing 777. As maintenance technicians, they knew exactly what they were looking for, although photographs from the subsequent investigation show they had to cut an access panel slightly wider in order to fit into the small space. They hid in this tiny compartment for more than 36 hours in total as the plane flew to Lagos and then Dublin, before finally landing in Washington DC.

In total, CNN has uncovered 16 technicians who have escaped via any means possible, including stowing away or even boarding as cabin crew and then not returning for the flight back to Addis.

Although Ethiopia dropped its State of Emergency last week, things remain very difficult for people of Tigrayan origins. Attempts to leave the country by legal means are being blocked, according to people CNN spoke to, with passengers born in Tigray or with Tigrayan names being denied boarding for legitimate flights.

For those who make it abroad, it’s a bittersweet victory. Most are leaving everything they ever had behind, including families and friends. Life in another country is not easy either, with some struggling to find work and accommodation. The SOE might be over, but it will be some time before Tigrayans can feel safe in their own country again.