Ethiopia's Road To Peace Is Long | Never Ending Wars

Ethiopia, like many other African nations, boasts a rich and storied history. It is one of the very few African states to have never been extensively colonised by European powers. However, in recent years, Ethiopia has been plagued by conflicts. A two-year conflict in the northern region of Tigray, lasting from 2020 to 2022, left thousands dead, displaced over two million people, and pushed parts of the country to the brink of famine.

The conflict pitted Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's federal Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) against the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a previously dominant political party. In the aftermath of the Tigray conflict, Ethiopia is once again engaged in violent internal strife, this time involving militia groups from the regions of Amhara and Oromia.

The Tigray War

The Tigray War began on November 4, 2020, when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched a military attack on the Tigray region. He claimed it was in response to an attack on a government military base. However, tensions had been building for months between Abiy's government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

For nearly three decades, the TPLF was at the centre of power. But when Abiy took office in 2018, following anti-government protests, the TPLF was sidelined. Abiy introduced reforms, but the TPLF resisted, leading to a full-scale war that drew in neighbouring Eritrea and caused widespread killings and displacement.

Though this was a modern ignition to the decades-old conflict, which had previously subsided, the roots of the war trace back to long-standing political, ethnic, and historical grievances in the country.

The conflict attracted international attention when the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize, issued a rare admonition to Abiy Ahmed over the war and humanitarian crisis in the Tigray region. "As prime minister and a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Abiy Ahmed has a special responsibility to end the conflict and contribute to peace," the committee said in a statement on January 13, 2022.

The war officially ended in November 2022 with the signing of the Pretoria Agreement between the Ethiopian government and TPLF. The peace deal, brokered by the African Union, resulted in a ceasefire and promised humanitarian access to the Tigray region. Both sides agreed to a permanent cessation of hostilities, the disarmament of Tigray forces, and the restoration of services in the region.

Amhara And Oromia Conflict

As one deadly conflict in Ethiopia seems to have calmed down, another is escalating, challenging the government that is eager to persuade the international community to lift sanctions. The conflict between the two groups stems from a complex mix of political, ethnic, and territorial disputes.

Historically, the Amhara have been a dominant ethnic group in Ethiopia, while the Oromia region, home to the country's largest ethnic group, the Oromo, has faced marginalisation. Tensions have flared over issues such as land disputes, resource control, and political representation. Clashes between the two groups have resulted in violence, displacement, and loss of life.

The recent conflict between the groups is due to contested land in the Oromia region, particularly areas like Wollega and Western Oromia, which both the Amhara and Oromo communities claim as their own. Historically, these areas were part of the Amhara region, but after Ethiopia's ethnic federalism system was established, they became part of Oromia. This shift created tensions as both groups vie for control over these resource-rich areas.

While the war between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF has formally ended, Ethiopia's journey to lasting peace is far from over. Civilians still live under the shadow of atrocities, particularly in the ongoing conflict between the Amhara and Oromia regions.