Understanding the Experience and Strategies of Rural–to-Urban Migrants in Mekelle City, Postwar Tigray: An Ethnographic Approach
Understanding the Experience and Strategies of Rural–to-Urban Migrants in Mekelle City, Postwar Tigray: An Ethnographic Approach
By Mussie Hayelom, Pre-PhD in Anthropology, Mekelle University
Supervisor: Dr. Sabine Planel, IRD, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
Migration has been strongly tied to economic livelihoods in Ethiopia, leading to decreasing unemployment (Mago, 2018). Some study shows that rural-to-urban migration acts as both a livelihood strategy and an inherent feature of urbanization (Thi Thanh Thao Dang, 2016). However, perspectives on migration differ. In certain rural areas, governments aim to minimize out-migration, while in other instances; movement is regarded a way of economic and social growth. Stockdale (2004) claims that migration helps young person’s by offering them opportunities for school and work. This study investigates the actual experiences and coping strategies of individuals who have relocated from rural regions to Hadnet sub city, Mekelle city, Tigray Ethiopia.
During my initial fieldwork, when the researcher encountered the respondent in August 2025 in Simret Tabia to collect data, which was focusing on migrants’ experiences and coping strategies in post-war Mekelle, few of the respondents exhibited willingness to be recorded and to express their opinions openly, as the respondents, being migrants, experienced feelings of insecurity due to the following impacts of the Tigray conflict. The only issue was that they thought of the researcher as an insider resident (view), and the majority of the respondents said throughout the interview, “You know everything about us.” That was very challenging for this task.
In fact, researchers understand the positionality effect, as Brown, N. (2022) emphasizes that our perception of ourselves, our identity, and the contributions we make to our research constitute positionality. To show how our work may have been influenced by our basic nature. A month later I changed methodology , and I collaborated with a friend, an instructor from Italy who possesses extensive knowledge of urbanization, not only in Italy but also in Mekelle, where he studied a work titled Abo Geza: History and Ethnography of a Tigrayan Prison (2025). To my surprise, during our joint efforts, respondents readily agreed to interviews, photographs, and recordings. Why? This emphasizes that our perception of ourselves, our identity, and the contributions we make to our research constitute positionality. To show how our work may have been influenced by our basic nature.
Migrants Experience and coping strategies in post-war Mekelle
This case study was collected in Mekelle in September 2025, from a 21 years old mini coffee and beverage house of migrant from southern eastern Tigray specifically Samre and currently living in Simret Tabia. The researcher wants to share the below case study due to the impressive way it expresses the experience of managing life in sub-urban area.
I arrived in Mekelle in 2013, about 5 years ago, following unrest in Tigray. At that time, Eritrean soldiers stayed at my parents’ house, which was divided into two parts. Living with the soldiers was challenging for many young people. I initially came with my family. After the war ended, my family returned to their house. I remained in Mekelle because I was unmarried and working as a domestic worker after my arrival. I took a housekeeping job and chose not to return home. Using some savings and borrowed funds from family, I started my own small coffee and beverages house after the war. I started saving when I began working but later stopped as work decreased. “ካብ ናይ ገጠር ሃፍቲ ናይ ከተማ ድክነት ይሕሽ” urban poverty is preferable to rural wealth. In rural areas, our main activities include cattle herding, irrigation, and related tasks. I believe that even urban poverty is preferable to rural wealth. The primary reasons I favor urban living are cleanliness, freedom, and variety of work opportunities. In contrast, rural work tends to be repetitive and unchanging in my life. My family always encourages self-sufficiency. I share a cramped workspace, which also serves as our residence, with my sister. We do not have a toilet and must travel to a distant location to use one.
The problem is I could not assist our parents, as I stay in a workplace distant from residential areas and have not received any support from the development group (ልምዓት ጉጅለ). I have no knowledge of the development group because I live separately from the residence in this workplace, while I have a national digital ID. I am not registered with the Development Group or Migration Administration Bureau. A development group is a collection of urban villages arranged in block order. The development group is primarily responsible for people in need. It makes the resident who wants an ID sign up for identification by registering with the development group. I spend my time at work every day. After visiting Gabriel Church with my sister and going to the market, we use the 17th market.
Do you feel safe when you move around the city after the war? She remarked, “እቲ ጊዜ መፍረሒ እዩ ብፍላይ ድሕሪ ኩናት ትግራይ በዝሒ ሃንግ፡ ሌባ፡ መጭበርበርቲ ብተወሳኪ እቲ ሕጊ ተጣሒሱ ስለ ዘሎ የፍረሐና እዩ” (The time is scary, especially after the Tigray conflict; the number of hangovers, thieves, and fraudsters, plus the law being violated, is scary.)
Conclusion
As a researcher, I am particularly surprised by the challenges presented in the above case study, which involves living in a three-by-three-meter house and dealing with inadequate accommodation. The subject of the study lives with her sister on the main road without basic facilities like a toilet, despite marking “ካብ ናይ ገጠር ሃፍቲ ናይ ከተማ ድክነት ይሕሽ” (urban poverty is preferable to rural wealth). Despite these difficulties, they continue to manage their daily lives. In the meantime, this case study is due to address the objective of this study and to provide the government and development organizations useful information on how to better assist these vulnerable individuals.
OpenEdition vous propose de citer ce billet de la manière suivante :
Secrétaire Scientifique (9 février 2026). Understanding the Experience and Strategies of Rural–to-Urban Migrants in Mekelle City, Postwar Tigray: An Ethnographic Approach. UN ŒIL SUR LA CORNE / AN EYE ON THE HORN. Consulté le 4 mars 2026 à l’adresse https://doi.org/10.58079/15nel



