The Tigray War was an armed conflict that started in November 2020 and has recently come to an end as of November 3 of 2022. Tigray is a region in the northernmost regional state of Ethiopia. Along with this region of Ethiopia being known as “Region 1” with its capital and largest city being Mekelle, they are also known for starting and being a part of The Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) which controls much of the rebellious region.
This war between Tigray and Ethiopia did not come out of nowhere, it was the result of built-up tension between TPLF and the government of Ethiopia and Eritrea, a neighboring country. The fight broke out when Tigrayan security forces attacked the Northern Command Headquarters of the Ethiopian National Defence. And because of this, it was ordered that a military offensive was to be sent against regional forces in Tigray. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said he did so in response to the attack on the Northern Command Headquarters of the Ethiopian National Defense.
Since 1994, Ethiopia has had a federal system in which different ethnic groups control the affairs of 10 regions, which was problematic because of the separation of people. Throughout the years Ethiopia became more stable but concerns about human rights and the level of democracy were continually questioned and fought against by citizens. In response to levels of protest, it then led the government to appoint Mr. Abiy as prime minister.
Although this was a win for most Ethiopian citizens, Tigray's leaders saw Mr. Abiy's reforms as an attempt to centralize power and destroy Ethiopia's federal system. More than two million of Tigray's six million people have fled their homes since November of 2021 when Mr. Abiy ordered an invasion after the TPLF fighters captured federal military bases.
Now, a year later, through all of the suffering Tigrayans were forced to go through, both governments have finally come to an agreement, but of course, this comes with compromises from both sides. One being Tigrayan forces are to be disarmed and refrain from supporting any other armed groups. And as a consequence of Ethiopia not valuing their citizens, the European Union froze budget support to Ethiopia, and the United States suspended Ethiopia’s much-valued preferential trading status over human rights abuses committed during the war, including gang rapes and mass killings of civilians by the Ethiopian military and its allies. Although these might seem like drastic measures to go through, the Ethiopian government is starting to feel the effect of their past decisions on citizens.
The pause of help from countries around the world has actually drawn attention to the treatment of Ethiopians due to their government. So much so that the ban on the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls much of the rebellious region, would be lifted, and it would be recognized as a political party. And not only was a truce signed on November 3, 2022, but it also concluded access to humanitarian aid, the restoration of services such as telecommunications and banking to the country’s Tigray region, and the cessation of hate speech. This is a huge step for Ethiopia considering that this conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, left hundreds of thousands facing famine, and destroyed health and education infrastructure across large parts of northern Ethiopia.
Although this problem might seem like continents away for most of us, plenty of American-born Ethiopians feel the effect of their country’s past conflicts and new solutions. Meklit Abel, junior class president, who is both from Tigray and Ethiopia, said “I’m honestly so happy that the conflict has been resolved. I feel like it was really dangerous for my family back in Tigray and Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, to express or even talk about what tribe they're from.” She added that she hopes that “the government can start doing a better job at caring for Ethiopian people.” Though these conflicts saddened her, being from both parts, she feels that it is bringing her country closer saying “From this conflict being resolved, I feel like many of them have gone back to claiming Ethiopia is for all of us and that although we may all come from different tribes, we are all one!”
Dina Genene, a sophomore at MHS who is Ethiopian, said “I still feel for those that are struggling in Ethiopia. So many people have died because of the ethnic violence and it hurts to see those fleeing for their lives and in need of.”
The conflict of Ethiopia and Tigray is just devasting and it is saddening to see discrimination of humans that come from the same place turning against each other
For further information on the subject:
- “Ethiopian government, Tigrayan forces agree to truce after 2 years of war” by Katharine Houreld https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/02/ethiopia-tigray-war-truce/
- This is truly a helpful article because it thoroughly explains the conflict between Ethiopia and Tigray without being biased towards any side specifically. It makes clear the importance of these two countries coming to a truce/agreement after two whole years of war.
- “Ethiopia’s gov’t and Tigrayan forces agree to end two-year war” posted by Al Jazeera English on youtube Ethiopia’s gov’t and Tigrayan forces agree to end two-year war
- This video was helpful in showing what was going on with the long-awaited truce between Ethiopia and Tigray while it was actually happening. Plus towards the end they added clips of the damage the war did and how this country planned to move forward.
- “Why Is Ethiopia at War With Itself?” by Declan Walsh and Abdi Latif Dahir https://www.nytimes.com/article/ethiopia-tigray-conflict-explained.html
- Just from the length of this article, you can tell it contains lots of information but it was also good at staying on topic with the title “Why Is Ethiopia at War With Itself” going almost thirty years back to when conflicts became serious and continuing throughout the coming years.
