In the fall of 2021, one year into the genocidal war in Tigray, I received a voice message from my nephew via a stranger’s number on WhatsApp. This marked the first time I had heard from my family since the start of the telecommunications blackout in the region, imposed by the Ethiopian federal government. The message began with simple greetings and reassurances that my family in Tigray was still alive. My nephew then informed me that my older brother, his father, was seriously ill and needed medical treatment. The urgent care he needed included having one of his legs amputated due to an infection caused by undiagnosed diabetes. He asked if I could do two things: send money to help pay for medical expenses, and smuggle medicine that his father desperately needed into Tigray. Read more