Tigray War Heating Up

    The Tigray War started in November of 2020 in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. A little background for the war begins with protests that began in Ethiopia before their last election. The ruling party in Ethiopia had been the Tigray People's Liberation Front since 1991. Under their rule, the country had become much more stable and prosperous. Despite the success, there had still been some speculation of fraud which led to distrust in the government. The turmoil, in turn, led to protests and shook up the political landscape. All of this going on opened the door for Abiy Ahmed to take over as prime minister. In his first year in office, he set up a new party called the prosperity party and was able to terminate issues with neighboring country Eritrea. That led him to win a Nobel peace prize in 2019. All of this success did not go over well with the people of Tigray and led them to host their own election despite the wishes of the national government. Tensions began to rise, and when Tigray forces opted to attack an army base to steal weapons, the war had begun.

    The war itself has caused millions to flee their home and widespread famine across the country. 4 million people, around 70% of the population, require food aid in the region. Ethiopian troops are not helping as they have been burning crops to limit food supply. The government has blocked roads into the region to limit the supply of humanitarian aid. The hospitals are running out of medicine, and doctors have not received pay since June. In some extreme cases, babies are only being born at one pound. There have also been war atrocities committed as towns have been shelled and then pillaged by Ethiopian forces. There has been the rape of girls and women of all ages as well as executions. In some cases, there were attacks on schools and hospitals.

    All of this terror has led Biden and The United States to step in recent days. Biden was "appalled" by the heinous acts committed daily in the region and vowed to impose sanctions if the two sides did not change things in the coming weeks. His main request was to allow the humanitarian aid needed provided. In response to these sanctions, the Ethiopian president responded with a letter to Biden stating that the region's reports are not valid. Prime Minister Ahmed also said that the country "will not succumb to pressure engineered by those who wish to consolidate power." Both republicans and democrats support Biden's executive order to make sure these acts get curtailed.

    Outside of Ethiopia, there is a consensus that military resolution is not an option to end the war. There is a United Nations meeting upcoming, and of the main talking points will be the Tigran war as it is currently one of the worst humanitarian issues. Hopefully, there will be a way to resolve this issue, or at the very least, the food and medicine will be awarded to the millions struggling. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54964378

https://www.npr.org/2021/09/20/1038858345/i-just-cry-dying-of-hunger-in-ethiopias-blockaded-tigray-region

https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/07/30/latest-crisis-ethiopias-tigray-region#