The war in the Ethiopian region of Tigray was one of the deadliest conflicts in the world. According to estimates by the African Union, at least 600,000 people died in the fighting between the Ethiopian army—supported by the Eritrean military and the Fano militia of the neighboring Ethiopian regional state of Amhara—and the army of the Tigray regional government within just two years. Many of the victims died not as a result of direct combat, but from starvation, which was sometimes used as a weapon, and from disease. Numerous medical facilities were deliberately destroyed, resulting in a widespread collapse of medical care. All parties to the conflict are alleged to be guilty of war crimes.
Since the war officially ended on November 2, 2022, Ethiopia has largely disappeared from the news. Unjustly so – because although the two main warring parties signed an agreement on a permanent cessation of hostilities in Pretoria, South Africa, which was painstakingly negotiated primarily by the African Union, the United States, and former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, the ceasefire did not lead to a stable peace. On the contrary: A complex crisis is currently escalating in Ethiopia – with a dramatic humanitarian component. Read more