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Turmoil Unravels In Ethiopia: Exposing Layers of a Complex Crisis

Writer's picture: Akbar HussainAkbar Hussain

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War with tigray

Ethiopia's war with Tigray has continued since November 2020. The war destabilized the country in the Horn of Africa, causing 350,000 to live in famine and thousands dead. This includes the civilians and the Eritrean soldiers fighting in Tigray for Ethiopia.


The main factor for the cause of the crisis was the election pushing for political reform by Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopian Prime Minister. He ordered military offense against regional forces in Tigray as they were accused of attacking military base housing. "The federal government is therefore forced into a military confrontation" Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed claimed.


Since the early 1990s, the Ethiopians had a federal system where different ethnic groups governed 10 different regions. This system was developed by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) who also led the four-party coalition when it won their war to seize control of the government from a military junta between the 1970s and 1980s.



Although the country became increasingly stable and prosperous, the lack of human rights and depreciating level of democracy was concerning for civilians.


Due to the protesting, Abiy Ahmed was appointed Prime Minister. Once appointed, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed set up a new party: the Prosperity Party. Moreover, he removed the Tigrayan government leaders who were accused of corruption and repression.


Because the Party was in the central of Ethiopia, Tigray saw this as an attempt to destroy Ethiopia's government. Tigray also attempted to defy the central government to hold its own election. However, this was deemed illegal as the country had no election since the Coronavirus outbreak.


Eventually, Tigray was cut off and the central government suspended funding towards Tigray. This was then considered as a declaration of war.


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food crisis

The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) estimated 300,000 children to have succumbed to severe starvation, as well as 1.769 million others suffering in a state of severe starvation. Due to "famine" being a politically sensitive term, the IPC refrains from mentioning it.


According to a Tigray Humanitarian Atlas based on Tigray's six million people that was published by the researchers at Belgium's University of Ghent, 1/3 of the land belongs to the Ethiopian government. Additionally, 1/3 of the Tigray civilization lives under the Eritrean army. The army is considered an ally, however, they do not cooperate with humanitarian agencies, which causes many difficulties of life towards the Tigrayan people. Moreover, 1.5 million live in rural areas controlled by Tigrayan rebels. This increases the difficulties influenced by the Eritrean army.



Furthermore, many different emergency systems were disrupted. The biggest emergency response, was stopped and banks closed as the war disrupted these services like the "productive safety net programme". Tigrayan farms were also burned down by neighbouring Amhara regions. Not only them, but also the Eritrean forces had a share in widespread pillage and destruction of health facilities.


How you can help

Donate:

Donating towards non-governmental organization is a great way to support Ethiopia in their crisis faster and better. Donating towards humanitarian organizations, healthcare units, and education facilities is another way to support the struggling Ethiopians.


Advocate:

Raising awareness on the situation is an excellent way to bring awareness to the public on the crisis. This can help increase rates in donations, which would increase the overall support given to Ethiopia.


Stay Informed:

It's important to raise awareness to the public, but it's just as important to educate ourselves on the situation so we aren't prone to making biased decisions and to give ourself a refined concept of the crisis.


Support Refugees:

Considering supporting a possible refugee crisis is crucial as it would be the best way to directly support Ethiopians during their times of crisis. Ways to support refugees could include financial contributions, volunteering, or advocating for refugee rights.



 







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