YDS 2021 in Review

SUB SAHARAN AFRICA
by Ezekiel Dobelsky I YDS Regional Correspondent
E T H I O P I A
The civil war in Ethiopia, which began
in late 2020 due to a dispute between
the Ethiopian government and
Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front
(TPLF), has expanded over the past
year. 2021 saw numerous important
developments in the conflict: new
ethnic groups joined the fighting, with
the formation of the United Front of
Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist
Forces in early November.
This alliance, which contains nine antigovernment
factions, is committed to
removing the current, Abiy-led
Ethiopian government. With the
southern-based Oromo Liberation
Army (OLA) joining the rebel alliance,
there are fears that the Ethiopian
capital Addis Ababa may be
surrounded in the near future
(although this may have been
alleviated in recent days). Eritrean
troops have also been involved in the
violence, joining the conflict in
partnership with Ethiopian forces.
There is deep animosity between
Eritrea and the TPLF, as a TPLF-ruled
Ethiopia fought a war against Eritrea
from 1998-2000.
Human rights abuses are frequently
committed by both sides. The Ethiopian
blockade over Tigrayan territory has
caused widespread hunger, with at
least 400,000 Tigrayans facing
‘catastrophic famine conditions’. Ethnic
Tigrayans face detention in
government-controlled areas. There is
widespread displacement, with many
Tigrayan refugees fleeing to
neighbouring Sudan.
A political solution does not appear
likely in the near future, as outside
institutions such as the African Union
(AU) and the United Nations (UN)
appear powerless to stop the
bloodshed. The decision by Ahmid Abiy,
the current Ethiopian prime minister
who was once lauded for his 2019
Nobel peace prize, to join the frontlines
in the war and repeatedly refuse
calls for a ceasefire, indicates that the
bloodshed and violence will continue
into 2022.
IN REVIEW
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