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World – Africa
These are the highlights of the troubling conflict:
A power struggle
The roots of the troubling clash in Ethiopia between the federal government and the ruling party in the northern Tigray region can be traced back to protests that toppled the previous government, which was dominated by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front in 2018.
Although Tigrayans make up only 6 percent of Ethiopia’s population, they dominated the country’s national politics for nearly three decades, until protests broke out.
All that changed when Abiy Ahmed became prime minister in April 2018, the first head of government for the Oromo ethnic group, the largest in the country. The Tigrayans lost ministerial posts and some high military posts.
The Oromo and Amhara, Ethiopia’s second largest ethnic group, among others, have complained of being marginalized under the former authoritarian coalition government.
In recent months, ethnic violence has erupted and calls for greater autonomy have been launched in various parts of the country.
Nobel Peace Prize
Abiy Ahmed won the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2019 for his role in bringing peace to Eritrea and ending the bitter stalemate dating back to the border war from 1998 to 2000. But internally things were less calm.
Weeks after winning the Nobel Prize, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front refused to join Abiy Ahmed’s new ruling party, complaining about what it saw as marginalization and unfair targeting through corruption investigations.
The leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) returned to their area, to be accused by Abiy Ahmed of trying to destabilize the country.
Optional
The central government decided to postpone the elections that were scheduled for August 2020 in the context of the Corona virus, despite protests from the opposition, without setting a new date.
Tigray has decided to defy the Abe authorities by holding its own elections on September 9.
Addis Ababa has made the Tigrayan government illegal, while the Tigrayans, in turn, no longer recognize the Abiy Ahmed administration.
The government decided to reduce federal funds allocated to the region, which the TPLF considered an “act of war.”
The fight breaks out
On November 4, Abe ordered a military response to a deadly “treacherous” attack on the Federal Army camps in Tigray. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front denied responsibility and said the alleged attack was a pretext for an “invasion”.
Two days later, as the fighting escalated, Abiy Ahmed fired the army commander, whose main commanders belonged to various tribes in Tigray.
On November 9, Ethiopia launched airstrikes on Tigray and Abe said the operation would end “soon” and his opponents would “definitely” lose.
Refugees and “war crimes”
The intensification of the fighting forced thousands of people to flee to neighboring Sudan, while the United Nations and the African Union demanded an end to the fighting. The number of people fleeing to Sudan amounted to about 40,000.
On November 12, Amnesty International said that several civilians were killed in a massacre that witnesses said was carried out by forces supporting the Tigrayan government. The TPLF denied their involvement.
The following day, the United Nations called for an investigation into “war crimes” in the area. That night, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front fired “missiles” at two airfields that were said to have been used by the Ethiopian army in neighboring Amhara state.
Attack on Eritrea
On November 14, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front threatened to launch missile attacks on Asmara, the capital of neighboring Eritrea. Eritrea was accused of assisting federal forces. Later on Sunday, the area around the Asmara airport came under several missile strikes, raising fears of widespread regional conflict. The president of the Tigray region, through Mikael, approved the targeting of the airport.
He told “Agence France Presse” that “Ethiopian forces are also using Asmara airport” in their military operation against their area, making the airport a “legitimate target”, as he himself put it.
‘Final attack’
After three weeks of fighting during which he rejected peace talks, Abiy Ahmed announced that government tanks were advancing on Mekele, the capital of Tigray. On Thursday, he ordered the “final phase” of the offensive, and the army said it surrounded the city and its half a million residents.
Abe called on civilians to “stay in their homes and stay away from military targets.” On November 28, Mikeli was subjected to violent bombardment before Abiy Ahmed said that military operations in the Tigray region were “complete”.
Later that day, the Eritrean capital Asmara was again hit by rockets fired from Tigray.
