Rafael Mitchell
@rafaelmitchell.bsky.social
Senior Lecturer in Comparative and International Education, University of Bristol | Co-Director of CIRE | BAICE | Schooling in Africa, democratising knowledge in education
Reposted by Rafael Mitchell
How did Ethiopia get away with the mass murder of close to a million Tigrayans?
In my latest piece for @theconversation.com, I examine the tactics the Ethiopian regime and its allies used to conceal the genocide in Tigray, and evade accountability.
theconversation.com/how-to-get-a...
In my latest piece for @theconversation.com, I examine the tactics the Ethiopian regime and its allies used to conceal the genocide in Tigray, and evade accountability.
theconversation.com/how-to-get-a...
How to get away with mass murder: 4 tactics Ethiopia used to hide Tigray atrocities from the world
The violence in Tigray was structured, targeted and sustained.
theconversation.com
February 13, 2026 at 11:36 AM
How did Ethiopia get away with the mass murder of close to a million Tigrayans?
In my latest piece for @theconversation.com, I examine the tactics the Ethiopian regime and its allies used to conceal the genocide in Tigray, and evade accountability.
theconversation.com/how-to-get-a...
In my latest piece for @theconversation.com, I examine the tactics the Ethiopian regime and its allies used to conceal the genocide in Tigray, and evade accountability.
theconversation.com/how-to-get-a...
Reposted by Rafael Mitchell
The Tigray crisis remains largely invisible to the world.
"Factors such as race and the peripherality of the region made the Tigray conflict a blind spot in global geopolitics. But these explanations are not sufficient."
In @uk.theconversation.com by @tekgw.bsky.social: bit.ly/4qvJzux
"Factors such as race and the peripherality of the region made the Tigray conflict a blind spot in global geopolitics. But these explanations are not sufficient."
In @uk.theconversation.com by @tekgw.bsky.social: bit.ly/4qvJzux
How to get away with mass murder: 4 tactics Ethiopia used to hide Tigray atrocities from the world
The violence in Tigray was structured, targeted and sustained.
bit.ly
February 13, 2026 at 10:26 AM
The Tigray crisis remains largely invisible to the world.
"Factors such as race and the peripherality of the region made the Tigray conflict a blind spot in global geopolitics. But these explanations are not sufficient."
In @uk.theconversation.com by @tekgw.bsky.social: bit.ly/4qvJzux
"Factors such as race and the peripherality of the region made the Tigray conflict a blind spot in global geopolitics. But these explanations are not sufficient."
In @uk.theconversation.com by @tekgw.bsky.social: bit.ly/4qvJzux
Reposted by Rafael Mitchell
UN Rights Chief Calls for Urgent De‑escalation In #Tigray
Volker Türk: “The situation remains highly volatile, and we fear it will further deteriorate. There must be concerted and sustained efforts by all parties, with the help of the int’l community, to de-escalate tensions before it is too late.”
Volker Türk: “The situation remains highly volatile, and we fear it will further deteriorate. There must be concerted and sustained efforts by all parties, with the help of the int’l community, to de-escalate tensions before it is too late.”
Ethiopia: Türk urges restraint and steps towards de-escalation amid volatility in Tigray
GENEVA – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Tuesday called on all parties to take urgent steps towards de-escalation, amid the precarious situation in the Tigray region.Recent fighti...
www.ohchr.org
February 10, 2026 at 2:55 PM
UN Rights Chief Calls for Urgent De‑escalation In #Tigray
Volker Türk: “The situation remains highly volatile, and we fear it will further deteriorate. There must be concerted and sustained efforts by all parties, with the help of the int’l community, to de-escalate tensions before it is too late.”
Volker Türk: “The situation remains highly volatile, and we fear it will further deteriorate. There must be concerted and sustained efforts by all parties, with the help of the int’l community, to de-escalate tensions before it is too late.”
Reposted by Rafael Mitchell
Tigray Calls on AU for Immediate Action to Avert War
The #Tigray interim administration, in a letter addressed to the AU, called for “immediate action to avoid an imminent war. The repercussions of a new conflict would be catastrophic and irreversible” and “plunge the region into a wider conflict.”
The #Tigray interim administration, in a letter addressed to the AU, called for “immediate action to avoid an imminent war. The repercussions of a new conflict would be catastrophic and irreversible” and “plunge the region into a wider conflict.”
Éthiopie: regain de tension au Tigré, les craintes d'une reprise de la guerre dans la région se multiplient
Alors que de violents combats ont opposé les forces tigréennes à l'armée fédérale éthiopienne dans l'ouest du Tigré ces derniers jours, la population et l'administration intérimaire locales s'inquiète...
www.rfi.fr
February 2, 2026 at 4:11 PM
Tigray Calls on AU for Immediate Action to Avert War
The #Tigray interim administration, in a letter addressed to the AU, called for “immediate action to avoid an imminent war. The repercussions of a new conflict would be catastrophic and irreversible” and “plunge the region into a wider conflict.”
The #Tigray interim administration, in a letter addressed to the AU, called for “immediate action to avoid an imminent war. The repercussions of a new conflict would be catastrophic and irreversible” and “plunge the region into a wider conflict.”
Reposted by Rafael Mitchell
UPDATE: according to reports from Tigray regional state television, drone strikes targeted trucks in two north-east Tigray towns at 4AM local time. A driver was killed, another is injured.
These would be the first civilian casualties of drone strikes in Tigray, since the Tigray war ended in 2022.
These would be the first civilian casualties of drone strikes in Tigray, since the Tigray war ended in 2022.
3.5 years after a ceasefire ended a brutal Ethiopian civil war that killed hundreds of thousands in two years...Ethiopian forces and Tigrayan rebels clashed on Thursday, marking the most serious fighting since the war ended.
Ethiopian Airlines has suspended all flights to Tigray.
Ethiopian Airlines has suspended all flights to Tigray.
Clashes between government troops and Tigrayan forces erupt in Ethiopia
'Deteriorating' situation causes suspension of flights, security and diplomatic sources say.
www.aljazeera.com
January 31, 2026 at 7:30 AM
UPDATE: according to reports from Tigray regional state television, drone strikes targeted trucks in two north-east Tigray towns at 4AM local time. A driver was killed, another is injured.
These would be the first civilian casualties of drone strikes in Tigray, since the Tigray war ended in 2022.
These would be the first civilian casualties of drone strikes in Tigray, since the Tigray war ended in 2022.
Reposted by Rafael Mitchell
BBC News - Ethiopian Airlines cancels flights to Tigray as fears mount of renewed conflict - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Ethiopian Airlines cancels flights to Tigray as fears mount of renewed conflict
Passengers received a text message about the cancellation of flights, citing
www.bbc.co.uk
January 29, 2026 at 12:21 PM
BBC News - Ethiopian Airlines cancels flights to Tigray as fears mount of renewed conflict - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Rafael Mitchell
Please spread this far and wide, as stories don't get much bigger than this. When the government blocks even the intelligence services from telling us we're heading for environmental catastrophe, you know we have a problem. A very big problem.
Thank you.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Thank you.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The UK government didn't want you to see this report on ecosystem collapse. I'm not surprised | George Monbiot
It took an FOI request to bring this national security assessment to light. For ‘doomsayers’ like us, it is the ultimate vindication, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
January 28, 2026 at 7:18 AM
Please spread this far and wide, as stories don't get much bigger than this. When the government blocks even the intelligence services from telling us we're heading for environmental catastrophe, you know we have a problem. A very big problem.
Thank you.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Thank you.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Rafael Mitchell
Published today! Teaching comparative and international education (CIE) www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... pleasure working with great colleagues Leanne Cameron @rafaelmitchell.bsky.social Martin Preston @bristoluni.bsky.social @wlvuni.bsky.social #BAICE #SES
Teaching comparative and international education (CIE) in UK universities: coverage, omissions and orientations
This article examines the teaching of comparative and international education (CIE) in undergraduate and master’s programmes in 30 UK universities via bibliometric and content analysis of the handb...
www.tandfonline.com
December 17, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Published today! Teaching comparative and international education (CIE) www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... pleasure working with great colleagues Leanne Cameron @rafaelmitchell.bsky.social Martin Preston @bristoluni.bsky.social @wlvuni.bsky.social #BAICE #SES
Reposted by Rafael Mitchell
@hebagowayed.bsky.social on Trump’s rhetoric and policy of ethnic cleansing.
The ethnic cleansing of the US will destroy it | Heba Gowayed
Trump’s racist remarks on Ilhan Omar and Somali immigrants reveals his vision for the US as a white Christian nation
www.theguardian.com
December 13, 2025 at 12:20 PM
@hebagowayed.bsky.social on Trump’s rhetoric and policy of ethnic cleansing.
**Post-war reconstruction of education in Tigray, Ethiopia**
What was the plan for re-opening schools in Tigray after the devastating 2020-2022 civil war? Who was involved in decision-making, and what evidence did they draw on? What were the results?
What was the plan for re-opening schools in Tigray after the devastating 2020-2022 civil war? Who was involved in decision-making, and what evidence did they draw on? What were the results?
December 10, 2025 at 4:02 PM
**Post-war reconstruction of education in Tigray, Ethiopia**
What was the plan for re-opening schools in Tigray after the devastating 2020-2022 civil war? Who was involved in decision-making, and what evidence did they draw on? What were the results?
What was the plan for re-opening schools in Tigray after the devastating 2020-2022 civil war? Who was involved in decision-making, and what evidence did they draw on? What were the results?
Today is UN's Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide
Here's an incredibly powerful book containing life-history accounts of 20 everyday people #Mekelle #Tigray during the civil war & its aftermath (2020-2023)
- books.openedition.org/cfee/3812
Here's an incredibly powerful book containing life-history accounts of 20 everyday people #Mekelle #Tigray during the civil war & its aftermath (2020-2023)
- books.openedition.org/cfee/3812
Mekelle Stories: Life in Time of War
On the night of 3 to 4 November 2020, war broke out in Tigray. Soon after Mekelle was bombed, people were stunned: should they leave the city? How to protect their loved ones? Where to get supplies? F...
books.openedition.org
December 9, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Today is UN's Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide
Here's an incredibly powerful book containing life-history accounts of 20 everyday people #Mekelle #Tigray during the civil war & its aftermath (2020-2023)
- books.openedition.org/cfee/3812
Here's an incredibly powerful book containing life-history accounts of 20 everyday people #Mekelle #Tigray during the civil war & its aftermath (2020-2023)
- books.openedition.org/cfee/3812
Reposted by Rafael Mitchell
“The #Tigray population have been through hell on earth. If people can name it, it’s a genocide at best…in a country where over a million lives are lost and a horrific number of gender violence and mutilated young people, people destroyed as families, infrastructure.”
— Bishop Tesfasellassie Medhin
— Bishop Tesfasellassie Medhin
December 9, 2025 at 2:45 PM
“The #Tigray population have been through hell on earth. If people can name it, it’s a genocide at best…in a country where over a million lives are lost and a horrific number of gender violence and mutilated young people, people destroyed as families, infrastructure.”
— Bishop Tesfasellassie Medhin
— Bishop Tesfasellassie Medhin
Reposted by Rafael Mitchell
"Confronting the politics of race, ethnicity and nation in schooling: evidence from school practices around the world"
Call for papers!
#EduSky @edusky.bsky.social
www.journals.uchicago.edu/journals/cer...
Call for papers!
#EduSky @edusky.bsky.social
www.journals.uchicago.edu/journals/cer...
Comparative Education Review: Call for papers - Confronting the politics of race, ethnicity and nation in schooling
www.journals.uchicago.edu
November 25, 2025 at 11:40 AM
"Confronting the politics of race, ethnicity and nation in schooling: evidence from school practices around the world"
Call for papers!
#EduSky @edusky.bsky.social
www.journals.uchicago.edu/journals/cer...
Call for papers!
#EduSky @edusky.bsky.social
www.journals.uchicago.edu/journals/cer...
Reposted by Rafael Mitchell
This post is an open letter to everyone who wants to participate in FACE. Please read, reflect, and share widely. Tag people. Subscribe to the mailing list. Join our conversations, participate in our programmes, and share ideas. Stand with us. Let us work together.
folukeafrica.com/forever-afri...
folukeafrica.com/forever-afri...
Forever Africa: A redesigned vision and an invitation
Read, share, join in a vision for flourishing futures.
folukeafrica.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:28 PM
This post is an open letter to everyone who wants to participate in FACE. Please read, reflect, and share widely. Tag people. Subscribe to the mailing list. Join our conversations, participate in our programmes, and share ideas. Stand with us. Let us work together.
folukeafrica.com/forever-afri...
folukeafrica.com/forever-afri...
Reposted by Rafael Mitchell
"Forever Africa Conference and Events (FACE) is a Pan-African collective, established in 2017 and brought together by staff and students at the University of Bristol. Our focus was and still remains to creatively find ways to cultivate knowledge for, by and of African and African-descended people."
This post is an open letter to everyone who wants to participate in FACE. Please read, reflect, and share widely. Tag people. Subscribe to the mailing list. Join our conversations, participate in our programmes, and share ideas. Stand with us. Let us work together.
folukeafrica.com/forever-afri...
folukeafrica.com/forever-afri...
Forever Africa: A redesigned vision and an invitation
Read, share, join in a vision for flourishing futures.
folukeafrica.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:43 PM
"Forever Africa Conference and Events (FACE) is a Pan-African collective, established in 2017 and brought together by staff and students at the University of Bristol. Our focus was and still remains to creatively find ways to cultivate knowledge for, by and of African and African-descended people."
Reposted by Rafael Mitchell
For anyone wondering what life was like in Mekelle during the civil war and its aftermath, this open access book contains the personal accounts of 20 civilians - everyday people, mostly from from the lower middle classes
books.openedition.org/cfee/3812
books.openedition.org/cfee/3812
Mekelle Stories: Life in Time of War
On the night of 3 to 4 November 2020, war broke out in Tigray. Soon after Mekelle was bombed, people were stunned: should they leave the city? How to protect their loved ones? Where to get supplies? F...
books.openedition.org
November 22, 2025 at 2:30 PM
For anyone wondering what life was like in Mekelle during the civil war and its aftermath, this open access book contains the personal accounts of 20 civilians - everyday people, mostly from from the lower middle classes
books.openedition.org/cfee/3812
books.openedition.org/cfee/3812
"Confronting the politics of race, ethnicity and nation in schooling: evidence from school practices around the world"
Call for papers!
#EduSky @edusky.bsky.social
www.journals.uchicago.edu/journals/cer...
Call for papers!
#EduSky @edusky.bsky.social
www.journals.uchicago.edu/journals/cer...
Comparative Education Review: Call for papers - Confronting the politics of race, ethnicity and nation in schooling
www.journals.uchicago.edu
November 25, 2025 at 11:40 AM
"Confronting the politics of race, ethnicity and nation in schooling: evidence from school practices around the world"
Call for papers!
#EduSky @edusky.bsky.social
www.journals.uchicago.edu/journals/cer...
Call for papers!
#EduSky @edusky.bsky.social
www.journals.uchicago.edu/journals/cer...
For anyone wondering what life was like in Mekelle during the civil war and its aftermath, this open access book contains the personal accounts of 20 civilians - everyday people, mostly from from the lower middle classes
books.openedition.org/cfee/3812
books.openedition.org/cfee/3812
Mekelle Stories: Life in Time of War
On the night of 3 to 4 November 2020, war broke out in Tigray. Soon after Mekelle was bombed, people were stunned: should they leave the city? How to protect their loved ones? Where to get supplies? F...
books.openedition.org
November 22, 2025 at 2:30 PM
For anyone wondering what life was like in Mekelle during the civil war and its aftermath, this open access book contains the personal accounts of 20 civilians - everyday people, mostly from from the lower middle classes
books.openedition.org/cfee/3812
books.openedition.org/cfee/3812
Reposted by Rafael Mitchell
“Today, Tigray is broken. Its leaders are divided. Another war looms, one that could pit Tigrayans against each other. I fought once to defend my people; I will not fight again in a war that will destroy what remains. That is why I left.”
An incredibly sad account.
open.substack.com/pub/continen...
An incredibly sad account.
open.substack.com/pub/continen...
The exodus out of Tigray
Young people are leaving en masse – and don’t know if they’ll ever come back.
open.substack.com
October 25, 2025 at 8:22 AM
“Today, Tigray is broken. Its leaders are divided. Another war looms, one that could pit Tigrayans against each other. I fought once to defend my people; I will not fight again in a war that will destroy what remains. That is why I left.”
An incredibly sad account.
open.substack.com/pub/continen...
An incredibly sad account.
open.substack.com/pub/continen...
Reposted by Rafael Mitchell
Weaponized Starvation: How Ethiopia Created Famine In Tigray
The famine in #Tigray was not an outcome of war. It was the result of deliberate policies—a siege, economic blockade and obstruction of aid by #Ethiopia and its allies—designed to destroy civilian life.
theconversation.com/starvation-a...
The famine in #Tigray was not an outcome of war. It was the result of deliberate policies—a siege, economic blockade and obstruction of aid by #Ethiopia and its allies—designed to destroy civilian life.
theconversation.com/starvation-a...
Starvation as a weapon of war: how Ethiopia created a famine in Tigray
Famine was weaponised as part of a broader campaign of destruction in Ethiopia’s Tigray region.
theconversation.com
November 2, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Weaponized Starvation: How Ethiopia Created Famine In Tigray
The famine in #Tigray was not an outcome of war. It was the result of deliberate policies—a siege, economic blockade and obstruction of aid by #Ethiopia and its allies—designed to destroy civilian life.
theconversation.com/starvation-a...
The famine in #Tigray was not an outcome of war. It was the result of deliberate policies—a siege, economic blockade and obstruction of aid by #Ethiopia and its allies—designed to destroy civilian life.
theconversation.com/starvation-a...
Reposted by Rafael Mitchell
We hear a lot about AI in education in the US on here, so can I just tell you about how it's working out in the schools sector in England? It's interesting! It's about data consultants, private education outfits and think tanks. Slow thread...
October 31, 2025 at 10:44 PM
We hear a lot about AI in education in the US on here, so can I just tell you about how it's working out in the schools sector in England? It's interesting! It's about data consultants, private education outfits and think tanks. Slow thread...
Looks like @mottmacdonald.bsky.social is *closing* Cambridge Education with implications for education in Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan & West Africa
This a few months after MM reported record growth, with global revenue reaching £2.5bn for the first time
This a few months after MM reported record growth, with global revenue reaching £2.5bn for the first time
October 24, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Looks like @mottmacdonald.bsky.social is *closing* Cambridge Education with implications for education in Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan & West Africa
This a few months after MM reported record growth, with global revenue reaching £2.5bn for the first time
This a few months after MM reported record growth, with global revenue reaching £2.5bn for the first time
Reposted by Rafael Mitchell
Famine in Tigray: Hunger and Humiliation worldpeacefoundation.org/publication/...
Famine in Tigray: Hunger and Humiliation - World Peace Foundation
Famine in Tigray was not only about biological deprivation but also about humiliation and dehumanization, including Tigray's middle class.
worldpeacefoundation.org
October 11, 2025 at 4:38 AM
Famine in Tigray: Hunger and Humiliation worldpeacefoundation.org/publication/...
"Meta brought AI to rural Colombia. Now students are failing exams"
Interesting piece on how AI is affecting educational experiences and outcomes for rural communities in Latin America
#edusky
restofworld.org/2025/colombi...
Interesting piece on how AI is affecting educational experiences and outcomes for rural communities in Latin America
#edusky
restofworld.org/2025/colombi...
Meta brought AI to rural Colombia. Now students are failing exams
When Meta embedded AI bots in its apps, even students in the most remote corners of Colombia gained access. But rather than boosting learning, it’s getting in the way.
restofworld.org
September 11, 2025 at 12:43 PM
"Meta brought AI to rural Colombia. Now students are failing exams"
Interesting piece on how AI is affecting educational experiences and outcomes for rural communities in Latin America
#edusky
restofworld.org/2025/colombi...
Interesting piece on how AI is affecting educational experiences and outcomes for rural communities in Latin America
#edusky
restofworld.org/2025/colombi...