The story
On November 4, 2020, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced a military operation in the northern region of Tigray. The government said it responded to an attack by forces loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) on a federal army base. The TPLF had dominated Ethiopia's ruling coalition from 1991 to 2018, until Abiy came to power, and the two sides fell out over power-sharing and an election Tigray held in September 2020 against federal wishes.
Ethiopian troops, Amhara regional forces and troops from Eritrea fought the Tigrayan forces. Federal forces took Mekelle in late November 2020, but the Tigrayans retook it in June 2021 and pushed into neighboring regions. Reports documented massacres, sexual violence and a blockade that left millions short of food. A ceasefire was agreed in November 2022 in Pretoria, South Africa, under African Union mediation. Estimates of the dead vary widely, and some studies suggest several hundred thousand, though figures are disputed.
Why it mattered
- The war killed many people and displaced millions, with large shortfalls in food and medicine.
- It strained Ethiopia's federal system and relations with Eritrea, the United States and Europe.
- It was followed by tensions in the Amhara region and in Tigray's own politics.
Sources
- Ethiopia's Tigray Conflict Peace Deal Showcased the African Union's Peace Diplomacy, but Several Sticking Points Remain Wilson Center
- The Nobel Peace Prize 2019 - Press release Nobel Prize
- Conflict in Ethiopia Council on Foreign Relations
Drafted by AI (Claude) from the sources above and checked against them by AI; no historian has reviewed this page. Spot a mistake? Suggest a correction. How pages are made
Community notes
Loading notes…