The Tigray Crisis
I’m back with another article! Hopefully y’all enjoyed the first article, today I’m writing about the war in Ethiopia in the Tigray region. This was a difficult article to write, I’ve rewritten this article twice, and hopefully this 3rd attempt is my last.
For those who are well versed in the topic please skip the next paragraph. For those who aren’t well verse please see the next paragraph for a brief background on the issue. In this article I’ll give a general breakdown of whats going on in an unbiased manner.
The Ethiopian government is at war with one of the states in Ethiopia. Since the fall of the communist regime in the 70s, Ethiopia has been divided along ethnic lines, with those of Tigray ethnicity having their own state in northern Ethiopia. The buildup of the conflict has been boiling for quite some time now. In the early part of the fall of last year, the Ethiopian state (Tigray) had decided to go through with elections, whilst the rest of Ethiopia decided to wait until today June 21, 2021 (due to Covid). The federal government of Ethiopia, led by Prime Minster Abiy Ahmed, denounced the 2020 elections by Tigray and threaten to cut off aid/resources for going rouge on their election. This back-and-forth would eventually lead the political leaders of Tigray (TPLF) to amass a large state of soldiers, ready to defend their state of Tigray. (Important thing to remember TIGRAY = Ethnic region of Ethiopia. TPLF = Political Party that represents that region.) It is supposed that the leaders of Tigray (TPLF) were fearful of an attack by the federal government, and initiated a “preemptive self-defense” strike at federal troops stationed in the Tigray state. The federal government of Ethiopia was supposedly caught off guard by the attack, and retreated the remaining troops into Eritrea. Soon after, the federal government of Ethiopia (along with Eritrean troops) devised a plan to attack the Tigray state and remove the TPLF from power. The infusion of Eritrean, Federal Ethiopian, and neighboring ethnic state troops, have caused devastating results for civilians, especially the Tigrayian people. Some other important information is that the TPLF (political party and of Tigray state) had ruled Ethiopia for 30 years. And during those 30 years, the TPLF, had be accused of major human right abuses by those not from the Tigray ethnic group. During the 30 years of TPLF rule, Amhara, Somali, and Oromo ethnic groups faced extreme persecution. Those 30 years came to an end when Abiy Ahmed was installed (by the TPLF ironically) from which he began to break ties with the TPLF. Furthermore the Eritrean government, led by Isaias Afwerki, has had a long-time feud with the TPLF, but has had peaceful relations with Abiy Ahmed.
Eritrean Involvement
First things first, this should not be an Eritrean issue. This is an internal conflict between Ethiopia, and Eritrea should not be getting involved with this conflict. With that being said it would be extremely naïve to believe that a Horn of Africa State wouldn’t be involved in some capacity with neighboring states issues. But to what extent? Reports of Eritrean troops committing grave atrocities in Ethiopian is extremely unacceptable. Outlets have reported Eritrean troops have looted, killed, raped, and pillaged villages and refugee areas. And before ignorantly chalking up those crimes to the “consequences of war” those guilty should face prosecution. Moreover, in the highly polarized Horn of Africa, countries from all over have some interest in the region, Eritrea’s involvement should not have come at a surprise.
Misinformation
From the onset of the conflict misinformation has been extremely rampant, from both sides. During the height of the conflict the Ethiopian Prime Minister had shut off all internet access from the region preventing both major and local news outlets from confirming major events. Much of the information regarding civilian casualties, and sexual violence being brought in extreme delay. Videos on Telegram and WhatsApp are only currently being circulated due to refugees from the Tigray region finding refuge in either Sudan or other parts of Ethiopia. Overall misinformation has led to extreme confusion regarding casualties, territory gains/losses, war crimes, and a plethora of other factors.
My Best 60 Minutes Impersonation
Like I mentioned earlier, I had some difficulties with writing this paper. My prior attempts left the reader with too many questions and no answers. But also, who am I as an Eritrean-American, to write about a conflict that doesn’t really involve me? So I figured why not kill two birds with one stone. I went ahead and had separate conversation with 5 Ethiopians regarding this issue. The Ethiopians are from all backgrounds and viewpoints and come from across the globe. I promised to conceal their identity in order to ensure a genuine conversation. Although if you’re dying to know who said what, just DM me $800 and I’ll reveal their identities (I’m not a journalist I have no integrity, jk). The goal of the conversations was not to engage in CNN type interview were I pit one side to the other, but rather for the reader to gain a general perspective by people actually impacted by what’s going on. Lastly, I tried to steer away from hardline politics. I didn’t think much would be gained if I grilled these volunteers with questions about their political beliefs during this difficult time.
Questions
I started each conversation with “How are you” and most would give a deep sigh, using the time to find words to explain their emotion. But their response was all the same, “it’s been hard.”
I had asked 10 or so Ethiopians to be apart of this, and only 5 agreed, and to those who declined no hard feelings. But almost everyone who declined wanted to let me know how tapped in they are on the issues, but didn’t feel comfortable to discuss them, again understandable. But those rejections led me to ask the 5 Ethiopians their thoughts on why people were so hesitant to have this discussion. One Ethiopian mentioned how polarizing politics have become, so polarizing they have had to cease all Ethiopian political discussions with their parents, due to different beliefs. Another Ethiopian touched on a similar tone, stating that “politics right now is like walking a very thin line, any wrong phrase or sentence can be misconstrued to be seen as offensive to the other persons ethnic group” and it wouldn’t be worth the risk.
Moving on I asked my Ethiopian panelist their thoughts on social media and this conflict. The respondents all gave answers similar to the aforementioned. One Ethiopian stated how “[I]t’d be easier to remain silent regarding the political portion but being active in supporting relief efforts to the Tigrayian people.” One panelist battled with the idea of being silent, while they didn’t believe that someone has to change their profile picture yellow (a campaign to bring awareness to the conflict), any awareness is better than none. One respondent seemed frustrated at how some Ethiopians can support movements having to do nothing with Ethiopia, but be silent when their own people need help. More importantly, the respondents seemed to “peep game” if you will, regarding their friends/family members, social media activity regarding the conflict.
What does it mean to be Ethiopian?
For me this was the most important question I had. And a majority of the respondents had difficulties giving an answer. The question, within the context of the conflict, posed a series of answers across the spectrum. Some answered with them not being too sure if they view themselves as Ethiopian anymore. Others didn’t see ethnicity as a key component, regarding their nationality. The most eye-catching response was how this conflict seemed to force a majority of the respondents to reassess what being Ethiopian truly means. One respondent gave an interesting point stating that “My idea of what being Ethiopian hasn’t changed, but the conflict has shed light on how my fellow Ethiopians, view what being Ethiopian means.”
Are you optimistic about the future?
I ended the conversations with a simple question, are you optimistic about the future? 3 of the 5 said they were optimistic, 1 saying they were not, and the other being unsure. From the optimistic crew most were not too sure what the future held, but looked to Ethiopia’s strong history for an answer. From the optimistic group, one respondent felt the support from the diaspora gave them comfort knowing whatever happens, there will still be those who will contribute their time and effort to support. The non-optimistic respondent felt that outside pressure from different nations and diaspora will rip Ethiopia apart along ethnic lines, but made clear those were not their intentions/wants but rather a pragmatic analysis. And the last respondent felt that there’s too much unknown to give an actual answer.
Observations from Convo
In my conversations I made sure to include people from across the ethnic and political spectrum. And truthfully, a majority of those I interviewed all gave roughly the same answers. But one answer I found extremely unique for all respondents was their view on the diaspora and youth back in Ethiopia. All respondents held those groups in high regard and have major expectations. A majority of those who were optimistic based their beliefs on the back of the diaspora and youth. One respondent went into depth sharing their disappointment in the diaspora and youth stating “[Ethiopians] have got to know better, especially the youth and diaspora, because sooner or later they will be the leaders.” Another observation is how careful the respondents were in explaining their opinions. Each sentence seemed strategically tailored to emphasize certain points or beliefs. But also each respondent were keenly aware of the “other sides” argument/beliefs and would instinctively rebuttal their point without hesitation.
My Take
Could I sit here and explain the errors I see on both sides, sure, but what good does that actually do? During my countless Clubhouse listen-in sessions, articles, and conversations with others, I found this issue to be boiled down into two questions.
1.Do political parties represent the will of the people in modern Africa? Or are people voting for a specific political party due to ethnic, historic, or religious loyalties?
In Africa, young democracies (actual democracies) haven’t had the time to curate certain issues for debate (that doesn’t mean those countries shouldn’t be democracies). For an example, here in America if you believe in climate change, social issues, and higher taxes on the rich, then you’d most likely vote for the Democratic party. More importantly, if a significant amount of Democrats believe we should make healthcare a priority, the party would adjust based on the will of the people. But in Ethiopia (and other developing/3rd world countries) the political parties are rooted within their respective ethnicity. Moreover, the issues brought to the people are based on ethnicity, as opposed to the actual issues. Questions should be had on whether Tigrayian’s (and the rest of the Ethnic groups) have had the platform to truly stake out different ideas, and beliefs from which they could freely express in elections? Or has political parties staked out certain fears, and limited other political parties from allowing such actions?
2. What does being Ethiopian truly mean?
Ethiopians need to have a sober conversation about what being “Ethiopian” truly means. Does being Ethiopian mean embracing/coexisting with those from different ethnic backgrounds? Or does being Ethiopian mean, using the large sovereignty of the state, for the interest of your individual ethnic group?The conception of the modern state of Ethiopia was created with the idea of preserving the rights of Ethiopia’s 90 different ethnicities. In part, those from minority groups see the need to preserve and ensure their rights are protected from the majority, which is understandable. The difficulties lies within finding a balance between preserving your right of your ethnicity vs. the interest of the country as a whole.
THE END.
Hopefully y’all enjoyed this article, I took a lot of time to write it so please let me know what your thoughts are, as always I’m open for conversation! Tune in next time when I talk about why Walnut Hills is ruining Cincinnati Public School District.
