The Ethiopian parliament on Saturday voted to dissolve the government of the northern Tigray region. This move is coming amid a dispute which experts said could turn into a full-blown civil war. And now, the federal government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is moving to replace the local leadership with a new administration imposed from the center.
There has been an escalation of tensions between Tigrayan and national military forces in recent weeks. The international community and observers have called for the de-escalation of tensions before Africa’s second-most populous country is embroiled in a long-drawn conflict that could destabilize neighboring countries like Sudan, Eritrea, and Somalia.
The United Nations, through its Secretary-General, António Guterres, called for a round-table negotiation by both sides to ensure the peaceful resolution of the dispute. However, with the recent turn of events, and with both sides making provocative statements, there seems to be no immediate solution to the imbroglio.
PM Ahmed, a 2019 Nobel Prize winner, made a statement on Saturday. He said he would not allow criminal elements within the country to escape justice under the guise of seeking reconciliation. He reiterated that the recent offensive embarked by the country’s military sought to put an end to acts of impunity that have gone on for too long. He said that individuals who felt they were above the laws of the land must be held accountable for their actions.
When the country’s parliament voted on Saturday dissolve the Tigrayan regional leadership, it gave PM Ahmed overriding powers to replace a government that PM Ahmed has since tagged illegal, Yahoo News reports.
However, Saturday’s threat did not go without a response by the Tigrayan government, who quickly offered a rebuttal using its Facebook page. It said the people of Tigray were fighting a justified war and will not negotiate with their enemies. It issued a veiled threat to the national government, saying that Tigrayans were now armed with modern weaponry that could reach even the state capital.
Last week Wednesday, the government of Abiy Ahmed commenced military operations in Tigray. The government had accused the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) of attacking a military installation in the region to loot military assets. However, the TPLF denied carrying the attacks and accused the government of using the story of the attack as an elaborate ruse to invade Tigray.
The Tigrayan had played key roles in the leadership of Ethiopia since 1992. With the coming to power of the 44-year-old PM Ahmed in 2018, that influence was drastically curtailed, and the region’s say in national affairs waned. The region felt sidelined and subsequently broke away from the national coalition. The Tigrayan leaders also accused the leadership of PM Ahmed, which it called illegal, of unfairly targeting them on accusations of corruption and carrying out purges.
The recent elections held in Tigray against the wish of the national government also contributed to the rise in tensions. PM Ahmed government had asked for a postponement of all elections until next year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The region, in stark defiance to the federal government, held a local poll in September, which the federal government deemed illegal.
Since the commencement of the military offensive, sources said there had been casualties on both sides. However, with the disconnection of telephone and internet services in Tigray, there was no way to make a detailed confirmation. PM Ahmed announced that airstrikes had been carried out in the region, rendering a retaliatory attack impossible.
The Tigray region houses most of the country’s military equipment and personnel, made possible through its border war with neighbor Eritrea in the late 90s all through the early 2000s.
Experts have predicted that should a civil war break out in the country, the Tigrayans were more than able to hold their own against the federal government. So, rather than being a swift crush of the Tigrayans, experts forecast a protracted conflict, with neither side having the upper hand.
There are fears of a humanitarian crisis should an armed conflict ensue, which could displace the country’s population of over 115 million across neighboring countries.
Source: theguardian.com
