Ethiopia's Civil War in November 2020

While the world is still pondering the results of the 2020 election and anxiously waiting for the COVID-19 vaccine, a civil war has erupted and escalated in Ethiopia.

Key Players:

TPLF: Tigray People's Liberation Front. This group consists of the leaders of the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia. It formerly governed Ethiopia for several decades prior to current Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed coming to power in 2018.

Abiy Ahmed: Ethiopian Prime Minister. When he came to power in 2018, he led sweeping reforms aimed at democratizing the country while also signing a peace agreement to end an almost 20 year standoff with Eritrea. For these accomplishments, he was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 2019.

Quick Facts:

-On November 4th, 2020, the conflict began when the TPLF was accused of stealing weapons from the federal government led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. At this time, some media has reported that the TPLF has been said to have stolen these weapons out of a desire to defend themselves against Abiy, who they believe has been targeting them through arrests of their leaders. Other media has stated that the TPLF denies having taken the weapons at all.

-The TPLF has reportedly been particularly upset with Abiy and his leadership since he postponed the 2020 election citing concerns about COVID-19. Establishing free and fair elections as part of a democratic process was one of Abiy's objectives when taking office.

-In response to the arms theft, Abiy launched a military effort to regain control of the region, which included using airstrikes and tanks to take control of Mekele, the capital of the Tigray region.

-On November 28th, Abiy and the Ethiopian military declared that they had taken control of Mekele and would be seeking to re-establish normalcy to the region.

Humanitarian Outcomes:

-During this conflict, at least 40,000 Ethiopians from the Tigray region fled to neighboring Sudan, and it has been reported that tens of thousands more have been displaced, particularly Eritrean refugees whose homes were in the Tigray region.

-The TPLF has accused Abiy's government of disregarding innocent civilians who have been killed in the airstrikes and bombardment of the capital.

-On November 9th, it was reported that approximately 600 civilians had been murdered in Mai Kadra, a town inside the Tigray region, and that the group responsible was a local group called the Samri, which acted with help from Tigrayan authorities.

Information regarding these events is still being reported on. The Tigray region has banned journalists and has not allowed for media communications inside.

One of the organizations providing relief to the region is the International Rescue Committee. Donations can be given here.