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Tigray crisis
The authorities have ordered residents of the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia to mobilize, saying they must “defend themselves” from “blatant aggression” by the federal government.
Fears of civil conflict are growing in the East African country.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed previously rejected a request for peace talks from the Tigray authorities.
Hundreds of people have died in eight days of clashes between Tigray forces and the federal army.
Ethnic divisions have increased in Ethiopia as some communities express their greatest desire for self-government.
Once the most powerful party in the country, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) that rules the Tigray region has been fighting Prime Minister Abiy since he came to power in 2018 and promised reform across the country. country.
More recently, the TPLF challenged a national election ban due to the coronavirus. Abiy responded by saying that her vote was illegal.
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Why are there fears of a civil war in Ethiopia
- Fake news shared about the Ethiopian conflict
Last Wednesday, Abiy ordered a military offensive after an army base in the Tigrayan capital Mekelle was taken over by forces loyal to the Tigray regional government.
What did the Tigray government say?
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) declared a state of emergency to “defend the security and existence of the people of Tigray and their sovereignty,” state broadcaster Tigray TV reported.
He issued a government warning that “action will be taken against anyone who does not cooperate.”
Regional authorities also reiterated the accusation that neighboring Eritrea was involved in the conflict, something that both Eritrea and the federal government have denied.
Federal authorities insist that their fight is against the regional government, not against the people of Tigray.
For some, the civil war has already begun
Mary Harper, editor of BBC World Service Africa
This is dramatic language from the Tigrayan regional leadership. But it coincides with what is coming from the federal authorities, who have promised to keep fighting until what they describe as the “criminal junta” led by Tigray has been “crushed.”
There has been much talk about Ethiopia slipping into a civil war, with international organizations calling for a ceasefire and a negotiated solution to this crisis.
But many Ethiopians, especially those from Tigray, say their country has already plunged into war.
Thousands of people are fleeing a country that has been a beacon of relative stability in the crisis-prone Horn of Africa.
With both sides stubbornly attached to war talks and little hint of common ground for possible compromise, the fear is that the fighting will continue.
Ethiopia’s neighbors will be absorbed, and civilians, many of whom already live in precarious conditions, will pay the highest price.
- Aid agencies have warned that up to 200,000 people could flee the conflict into Sudan.
- Ethiopia and Eritrea have denied that Eritrean forces are fighting alongside the Ethiopians against the Tigrayans.
- Ethiopian army claims to have killed 550 Tigrayan fighters
What is behind the conflict?
The TPLF was the most powerful member of Ethiopia’s ruling coalition for many years, but Abiy curbed its influence after gaining power in 2018 following anti-government protests.
Relations worsened last year after Abiy, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for ending a two-decade conflict with, dissolved the ruling coalition, which was made up of several ethnically-based regional parties.
He merged them into a single national party, the Prosperity Party, which the TPLF refused to join.
Tigray leaders say they have been unfairly targeted by purges and corruption accusations, and say Abiy is an illegitimate leader because his term ran out when he postponed national elections due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The simmering discussion erupted in September after the TPLF defied the national election ban and held a vote that was declared illegal by the central government.
