United Nation: 9 million people risk displacement from conflict in Ethiopia.
United Nations warned on November 8, 2020 that nine million people risk displacement from the escalating conflict that has triggered in Tigray region of Ethiopia.
Highlights
United Nations highlighted that that Ethiopian government’s declaration of a state of emergency is blocking the food and other aid in the region. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA ) in a report stated that the clashes between federal troops and Tigrayan forces had broken out at the eight locations in the region. The OCHA report further highlighted that the clashes have disrupted food supply for the 600000 people in Tigray and other support to another 1 million people.
What is the issue?
The Tigray region of Ethiopia faces the issue of Tigray military intervention. The military intervention is an ongoing military raid. The raid had began in November 2020. The civil conflict between the regional authorities and the federal government laid down the foundation of this ongoing war.
Why this war began?
After the Ethiopian Civil War ended in 1991, Ethiopia became a dominant-party state. The Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) was then ruling the state. EPRDF party was the coalition of ethnic-based parties whose founding member was the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The TPLF used to be part of Ethiopia’s governing coalition until its 2019. Later, the Tensions between the government and the TPLF escalated in the aftermath of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed accused the Tigray regional authorities of undermining his authority. In September 2020, Tigray authorities saw the refusal to recognise the 2020 election for the Tigray parliament. The day prior to the TPLF’s alleged attack on a military camp, the federal parliament of Ethiopia suggested to designate the TPLF as a terrorist organization. In the line, the Ethiopian National Defense Force launched a military operation against Tigray People’s Liberation Front on November 4, 2020.
The Tigray Region
It is the northernmost of the nine regions of Ethiopia. The region is the homeland of Tigrayan, Irob and Kunama peoples. It is also known as Region 1 as per the federal constitution. The largest city called Mekelle is the capital of Tigray. Tigray is the 5th largest by area, 5th most populous, and 5th most densely populated region of the 9 Regional States in Ethiopia. It is bordered by Eritrea, Sudan, the Amhara Region and the Afar Region.