What you need to know about Ethiopia
Ethiopia is a country located in upper east Africa. It borders Sudan, Eritrea, and Djibouti. Much of Ethiopia is split into different groups based on region and the TPLF (Tigray people’s Liberation Front) which is a very prominent group that dominated most of the politics in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has had a troubling past with political unrest and protest of the central government from groups like the TPLF. Another important thing to note is the fighting between Ethiopia and Eritrea. They fight continuously over their borders and other bordering towns. This is why in Ethiopia's 2018 election, they brought Abiy Ahmed into power, because he later won a Nobel peace prize for resolving political conflict, like the troubles between the TPLF and Eritrea, within Ethiopia after he was elected.
Why might Ethiopia engage in a Civil War?
The TPLF have always been a big part of the government in Ethiopia, until Ahmed removed some of TPLF members from the central government. He accused them of being corrupt and abusing human rights. Ahmed also accused the TPLF of attacking a military base in Mekelle, the states capital. Ahmed says that the TPLF dressed in the Eritreans uniforms whilst allegedly attacking his military base. The election that was supposed to take place in 2020 was postponed by Ahmed because of Covid-19 restrictions. The TPLF accused Ahmed of cheating and said that this was unconstitutional. Early in Ahmed's term, he tried to merge different ethnic groups, including the TPLF, into one group, the Prosperity party (PP). TPLF refused to join it which consequently caused more civil unrest between the two. Ahmed also redirected funds from the TPLF, which they said was a “power grab” on Ahmed's parts. Even with lack of funding, the TPLF still has lots of weapons, and a formidable army with almost 250,000 troops.
What steps have already been taken towards war?
Communications between Tigray and the central government have been cut off. Ahmed says he sent troops to Tigray to address the attack on the military base. The TPLF leaders are “ready to be martyrs.” Sources say that Ahmed launched an airstrike on Tigray. Both sides report casualties, but Ahmed still does not formally declare civil war.
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