Despite the war in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia ending in November 2022, tensions are again escalating. Locals are braced for the possibility of another outbreak of violence.
The two-year Tigray war was sharp and deadly, with up to 700,000 people killed and as many as 120,000 women raped. It is estimated the conflict left about 10,000 schools damaged, with 8 million children affected. And the region remains in the grip of a severe humanitarian crisis. More than 21.4 million people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance, mostly in the Tigray, Oromo and Amhara regions. It leaves a cocktail of tensions that could quickly break out into another war.
The political background is important. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) was the leader of a four-party coalition government of Ethiopia from 1991 until 2018, when discontentment about the level of democracy in Ethiopia led to protests and a government reshuffle. Abiy Ahmed assumed the role of Prime Minister with the promise of political reform. In 2019 he set up the Prosperity Party and removed the TPLF from power. Read more…