War in Ethiopia's Tigray region has left many disabled veterans without care

MEKELE, Ethiopia (AP) — Chandera Weldesenbet is worried about dying before he receives the help he needs.

The 41-year-old veteran of the recent war in Ethiopia's Tigray region has metal shrapnel in his body that is yet to be removed, more than two years after the fighting ended.

Unable to get specialized medical care, Chandera is bedridden most of the time because of the pain. He is one of many casualties whose untreated or poorly treated injuries are a reminder of the war's toll.

“When I think about my future prospect and my ability to raise a child in such hardship and circumstances, I feel hopeless," he said, with a toddler at home.

Chandera, a former hotel worker in the town of Shire, found that health facilities across the region had been largely destroyed in the fighting.

The head of the Ethiopian National Rehabilitation Commission, Temesgen Tilahun, told The Associated Press there are more than 43,000 Tigrayan former combatants.

Thousands of people were killed in the war that pitted local fighters against federal troops who were allied with fighters from other regions, and ended in 2022. No one knows how many were wounded.

Some former combatants in Tigray returned to their homes to find there was no way to receive medical support for permanent disabilities.

Hiluf Haile managed to receive therapy in the Tigray capital, Mekele, to adjust to a new prosthetic leg at the only center in Tigray that offers such treatment. But he has witnessed the chronic shortage of support for other disabled ex-combatants.

Many who had serious injuries have limited access to orthopedic therapy and must navigate damaged communities that have little or no infrastructure to accommodate them.

They “survive by begging, laying bare the scar of the war,” Haile said.

Tesfaye Kiros, another veteran, lost a leg and has been unable to find employment. He regularly begs at a busy bus station in Mekele, Tigray’s capital.

He dreams of returning to his hometown of Zalambessa, near the border with Eritrea. That remains elusive as new tensions rise between Ethiopia and Eritrea, its former ally in the war.

The 31-year-old had been elated when a diaspora-led initiative, Rescue & Oasis Actions for the Disabled of War, chose him to receive a three-wheel electric bike to help him be mobile. But, still unable to find work, he sold it to feed his children.

“The bike would have helped me a great deal," he said.

With limited resources as Tigray recovers from the war, the regional government has appealed to the federal government in Addis Ababa, the capital, for more support — and for international donors to come to the rescue.

The government has offered veterans reintegration into the armed forces.

“Tigray has too many individuals with disabilities who need support, especially medicine, and the situation is extremely dire," said Gebrehiwot Gebrezgiabher, commissioner for the Tigray Disaster Risk Management Commission. “We are too overwhelmed to support them without more financial support.”

The Mekelle Ortho-Physiotherapy Center, which has operated in Tigray for nearly three decades with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross, is trying to fill the gap.

The group has treated disabled combatants, providing prosthetic limbs and mobility aid such as crutches. But it is unable to help everyone who needs support without more funding.

“Over the years, we have delivered a total of 180,000 services. However, this number pales in comparison to the 65,000 we have provided in just the last three years,” manager Birhane Teame said.

Teame urged international organizations to assist his group “in alleviating the burden" in Tigray.

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A young boy who lost his leg during the recent war walks with his mother during a visit at Ortho-Physiotherapy Centre in Mekele, Tigray region of northern Ethiopia Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Amanuel Birhane)

A young boy who lost his leg during the recent war walks with his mother during a visit at Ortho-Physiotherapy Centre in Mekele, Tigray region of northern Ethiopia Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Amanuel Birhane)

Abandoned wheelchairs lie at Ortho-Physiotherapy Centre in Mekele, Tigray region of northern Ethiopia Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Amanuel Birhane)

Birhane Teame, the manager of Ortho-Physiotherapy Centre, speaks during an interview with Associated Press in Mekele, Tigray region of northern Ethiopia Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Amanuel Birhane)

A doctor examines a man with a prosthetic leg at Ortho-Physiotherapy Centre in Mekele, Tigray region of northern Ethiopia Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Amanuel Birhane)

A man walks past a signpost in front of Ortho-Physiotherapy Centre at Mekele in Tigray region of northern Ethiopia Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Amanuel Birhane)

Wounded Tigrayan former combatant learn to walk on a prosthesis during a visit at Ortho-Physiotherapy Centre at Mekele in Tigray region of northern Ethiopia Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Amanuel Birhane)

Prosthetic which have been serviced for clients, rest on a wall at Ortho-Physiotherapy Centre in Mekele, Tigray region of northern Ethiopia Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Amanuel Birhane)

Wounded Tigrayan former combatant's of the recent war practice how to use prosthetic legs at Ortho-Physiotherapy Centre at Mekele in Tigray region of northern Ethiopia Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Amanuel Birhane)

Hiluf Haile, 24-year-old, Tigrayan former combatant of the recent war being examined by a doctor at Ortho-Physiotherapy Centre in Mekele, Tigray region of northern Ethiopia Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Amanuel Birhane)

A prosthetic leg backdropped by wounded Tigrayan former combatant is seen at Ortho-Physiotherapy Centre at Mekele in Tigray region of northern Ethiopia Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Amanuel Birhane)

Wounded Tigrayan former combatant's of the recent war, wait to be attended at Ortho-Physiotherapy Centre at Mekele in Tigray region of northern Ethiopia Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Amanuel Birhane)

Chandera Weldesenbet, 41-year-old, left, a wounded former combatant of the recent war, sits outside his home carrying his one-and-a-half-year-old child and his wife Rahel Gebrekidan, right, in Quiha, Tigray region of northern Ethiopia Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Amanuel Birhane)

A group of Buddhist monks and their rescue dog are striding single file down country roads and highways across the South, captivating Americans nationwide and inspiring droves of locals to greet them along their route.

In their flowing saffron and ocher robes, the men are walking for peace. It's a meditative tradition more common in South Asian countries, and it's resonating now in the U.S., seemingly as a welcome respite from the conflict, trauma and politics dividing the nation.

Their journey began Oct. 26, 2025, at a Vietnamese Buddhist temple in Texas, and is scheduled to end in mid-February in Washington, D.C., where they will ask Congress to recognize Buddha’s day of birth and enlightenment as a federal holiday. Beyond promoting peace, their highest priority is connecting with people along the way.

“My hope is, when this walk ends, the people we met will continue practicing mindfulness and find peace,” said the Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, the group’s soft-spoken leader who is making the trek barefoot. He teaches about mindfulness, forgiveness and healing at every stop.

Preferring to sleep each night in tents pitched outdoors, the monks have been surprised to see their message transcend ideologies, drawing huge crowds into churchyards, city halls and town squares across six states. Documenting their journey on social media, they — and their dog, Aloka — have racked up millions of followers online. On Saturday, thousands thronged in Columbia, South Carolina, where the monks chanted on the steps of the State House and received a proclamation from the city's mayor, Daniel Rickenmann.

At their stop Thursday in Saluda, South Carolina, Audrie Pearce joined the crowd lining Main Street. She had driven four hours from her village of Little River, and teared up as Pannakara handed her a flower.

“There’s something traumatic and heart-wrenching happening in our country every day,” said Pearce, who describes herself as spiritual, but not religious. “I looked into their eyes and I saw peace. They’re putting their bodies through such physical torture and yet they radiate peace.”

Hailing from Theravada Buddhist monasteries across the globe, the 19 monks began their 2,300 mile (3,700 kilometer) trek at the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth.

Their journey has not been without peril. On Nov. 19, as the monks were walking along U.S. Highway 90 near Dayton, Texas, their escort vehicle was hit by a distracted truck driver, injuring two monks. One of them lost his leg, reducing the group to 18.

This is Pannakara's first trek in the U.S., but he's walked across several South Asian countries, including a 112-day journey across India in 2022 where he first encountered Aloka, an Indian Pariah dog whose name means divine light in Sanskrit.

Then a stray, the dog followed him and other monks from Kolkata in eastern India all the way to the Nepal border. At one point, he fell critically ill and Pannakara scooped him up in his arms and cared for him until he recovered. Now, Aloka inspires him to keep going when he feels like giving up.

“I named him light because I want him to find the light of wisdom,” Pannakara said.

The monk's feet are now heavily bandaged because he's stepped on rocks, nails and glass along the way. His practice of mindfulness keeps him joyful despite the pain from these injuries, he said.

Still, traversing the southeast United States has presented unique challenges, and pounding pavement day after day has been brutal.

“In India, we can do shortcuts through paddy fields and farms, but we can’t do that here because there are a lot of private properties,” Pannakara said. “But what’s made it beautiful is how people have welcomed and hosted us in spite of not knowing who we are and what we believe.”

In Opelika, Alabama, the Rev. Patrick Hitchman-Craig hosted the monks on Christmas night at his United Methodist congregation.

He expected to see a small crowd, but about 1,000 people showed up, creating the feel of a block party. The monks seemed like the Magi, he said, appearing on Christ’s birthday.

“Anyone who is working for peace in the world in a way that is public and sacrificial is standing close to the heart of Jesus, whether or not they share our tradition,” said Hitchman-Craig. “I was blown away by the number of people and the diversity of who showed up.”

After their night on the church lawn, the monks arrived the next afternoon at the Collins Farm in Cusseta, Alabama. Judy Collins Allen, whose father and brother run the farm, said about 200 people came to meet the monks — the biggest gathering she’s ever witnessed there.

“There was a calm, warmth and sense of community among people who had not met each other before and that was so special,” she said.

Long Si Dong, a spokesperson for the Fort Worth temple, said the monks, when they arrive in Washington, plan to seek recognition of Vesak, the day which marks the birth and enlightenment of the Buddha, as a national holiday.

“Doing so would acknowledge Vesak as a day of reflection, compassion and unity for all people regardless of faith,” he said.

But Pannakara emphasized that their main goal is to help people achieve peace in their lives. The trek is also a separate endeavor from a $200 million campaign to build towering monuments on the temple’s 14-acre property to house the Buddha’s teachings engraved in stone, according to Dong.

The monks practice and teach Vipassana meditation, an ancient Indian technique taught by the Buddha himself as core for attaining enlightenment. It focuses on the mind-body connection — observing breath and physical sensations to understand reality, impermanence and suffering. Some of the monks, including Pannakara, walk barefoot to feel the ground directly and be present in the moment.

Pannakara has told the gathered crowds that they don't aim to convert people to Buddhism.

Brooke Schedneck, professor of religion at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, said the tradition of a peace walk in Theravada Buddhism began in the 1990s when the Venerable Maha Ghosananda, a Cambodian monk, led marches across war-torn areas riddled with landmines to foster national healing after civil war and genocide in his country.

“These walks really inspire people and inspire faith,” Schedneck said. “The core intention is to have others watch and be inspired, not so much through words, but through how they are willing to make this sacrifice by walking and being visible.”

On Thursday, Becki Gable drove nearly 400 miles (about 640 kilometers) from Cullman, Alabama, to catch up with them in Saluda. Raised Methodist, Gable said she wanted some release from the pain of losing her daughter and parents.

“I just felt in my heart that this would help me have peace,” she said. “Maybe I could move a little bit forward in my life.”

Gable says she has already taken one of Pannakara’s teachings to heart. She’s promised herself that each morning, as soon as she awakes, she’d take a piece of paper and write five words on it, just as the monk prescribed.

“Today is my peaceful day.”

Freelance photojournalist Allison Joyce contributed to this report.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," get lunch Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Aloka rests with Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

A sign is seen greeting the Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Supporters pray with Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Supporters watch Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

A Buddhist monk ties a prayer bracelet around the wrist of Josey Lee, 2-months-old, during the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Bhikkhu Pannakara, a spiritual leader, speaks to supporters during the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Buddhist monks participate in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Buddhist monks participate in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Bhikkhu Pannakara leads other buddhist monks in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Audrie Pearce greets Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Bhikkhu Pannakara, a spiritual leader, speaks to supporters during the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," arrive in Saluda, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," are seen with their dog, Aloka, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)