War Continues to Ravage Ethiopia

Soldiers+of+Tigray+Defence+Force+%28TDF%29+in+Mekele%2C+Tigray+region%2C+Ethiopia.+

Photographer: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images LISTEN TO ARTICLE 2:26 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Share Tweet Post Email Sign up to our Next Africa newsletter and follow Bloomberg Africa on Twitter Ethiopia has launched a major offensive against rebel forces from the Tigray region, carrying out air strikes in its latest bid to gain the upper hand in an almost yearlong civil war. The move from the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed comes days after he was inaugurated for a new five-year term as leader of Africa’s second-most populous country, and amid threats that the U.S. may impose sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for the violence. Getachew Reda, a senior member of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, said air strikes and artillery bombardment had struck parts of the northern Amhara region and another area that straddles the border with Tigray in the past two days. The number of casualties, if any, was unclear. In June, Liberation Front forces recaptured their capital Mekelle from Ethiopian troops and allied fighters from Eritrea. Next Africa: What Does Tigray Want From Ethiopian Civil War? “At this stage it is mostly air, drone and artillery bombardment,” Getachew said via text message. He added that thousands of pro-government combatants had been spotted near the towns of Hara, Wergesa and Wegel Tena close to the Tigray border in Ethiopia’s northern Amhara region. “We will maintain our defensive positions. We are confident we will thwart the offensive on all fronts,” he said, adding that there was “little military logic to the choice of targets” and that in one case a village under government control had received friendly fire. Getachew’s comments on the state of the combat couldn’t be independently verified. Billene Seyoum, a spokeswoman for Abiy, didn’t respond to questions. Brink of Famine The latest military build-up is taking place in the areas where Abiy’s forces were present in the early days of the conflict. For months, forces loyal to Abiy and soldiers from Eritrea were accused of carrying out grievous crimes including rape and the massacre of civilians. The conflict began in November when Abiy ordered an incursion in retaliation for an attack on an army base. The United Nations has warned that more than 400,000 people in the region are on the brink of famine. The Biden administration this week called a CNN report that Ethiopian Airlines Group used a commercial airline to ferry arms to Eritrea a grave allegation, and said Ethiopia could be hit with sanctions if conflict in the Tigray region persists. The carrier denied it had done so. Earlier this month, Ethiopia ordered seven senior UN staff members to leave the country for allegedly meddling in its internal affairs, a move condemned by UN and U.S. officials. (Updates third paragraph with details on location of air strikes) Have a confidential tip for our reporters? GET IN TOUCH Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal. LEARN MORE UP NEXT Summers Sees Up to 40% Chance for Recession Amid Inflation, Labor Shortages Sponsored LinksTOP STORIES Take This Quiz To See If You Can Retire Comfortably SmartAsset Amazon Has Millions of Prime Subscribers — But Few Know About This Savings Trick Capital One Shopping Don't buy Progressive glasses before reading this GlassesUSA.com Shop New Bombas Holiday Socks Bombas by TaboolaSponsored LinksFrom The Web New Volkswagen's Finally On Sale All Things Auto Wall Street legend warns “A strange day is coming” Chaikin Analytics These Cars Are So Loaded It's Hard to Believe They're So Cheap Luxury SUVs | Search Ads

Soldiers of Tigray Defence Force (TDF) in Mekele, Tigray region, Ethiopia.

Ethan Hodge, Forum Writer
December 10, 2021

Imagine your home beautiful and full of color red, yellow, blue, orange, and the smell of your mother’s best dish. Then suddenly you hear a bang and in an instant the vibrant colors are replaced with black, grey, and red. So. Much. Red. The welcoming home that once stood is gone and replaced with a choking black smoke and all you can are hear gunshots.

This is the life of the people in Northern Ethiopia right now. As the TPLF gets ever closer and closer to the capital, the Ethiopian grows ever more desperate. Ethiopia released a state of emergency, what this means is that as the military increases the air bombardment Abiy urges any able citizens to take up arms and fight. 

“Our people should march … with any weapon and resources they have to defend, repulse and bury the terrorist TPLF” Abiy said.

Through this post Abiy shows no signs of backing down and was instructing residents to register their weapons in a local neighborhood. The reason for this being was to gather a large amount of people and to protect said neighborhood.

“After the recent State of Emergency declared by the Ethiopian government, lots of people who are Tigrayan by tribe have been captured and prisoned in the city of Addis Ababa including a few that I am friends with” Said by Behailu Endeshaw

This just shows how split Ethiopia is right now, multiple factions, tribes, all while a war is happening. People are caught in the middle trying to figure out where to wait and wait this war out. As more money goes into the war more things become more expensive making living harder than it already is, some families are struggling to just makes ends meet and feed there children.

The reason why the revolution is filled with such hatred and bloodshed goes back to when the TPLF ruled Ethiopia for decades with an iron grip. However, this fueled a political uprising that forced the TPLF out and Abiy Ahmed in. Fast forward to a year ago the TPLF attacked and massacred Ethiopian soldiers in there sleeps at the Northern region. 

“After the Ethiopian government declared a unilateral ceasefire, the rebel group “TPLF” went in the regions of Afar and Amhara and killed as many people as they can find, killed their cattle, burned, and destroyed their farms and houses, raped, tortured women and hundreds and thousands of people misplaced.” Said Behailu Endeshaw

These acts are what caused a never-ending cease fire on the TPLF however, as the war rages and the impact of the civilians deepens. The US have finally taken steps to intervene, president Biden’s admin office have warned that they will lose a trade deal if no conflict is ended by 2022. The International response is also starting to issue sanctions against the parties signed in September by President Biden. This should at least tempt the Ethiopian government to attempt an cease fire with the TPLF, so humanitarian aid can help the people.