The famine conditions in the Ethiopian provence ofTigray is a tragic example of this fact. Ethiopia is a federal republic structured on the basis of 10 provinces. Each province is named after the major ethnic group within the province. However, no province is populated exclusively by one ethnic group. Through history and economic development people have moved to areas beyond their original "homeland."
Prior to 2018 when the current federal government led by Abiy Ahmed came to power, the Tigray Liberation-led government played an important role in national politics for three decades. Tensions between the current federal government and the Tigray authorities came to a head in September 2020 when elections for the parliament of Tigray were held against the wishes of the federal government who wanted all elections postponed due to the EOVID-19 health crisis.
Thus, the central government said that the elections were "illegal". The Tigray authorities replied by saying that they were claiming independence and wanted to leave the Ethiopian federation, a possibility, depending on one's interpretation of the Ethiopian constitution.
Federal troops started moving into Tigray. The fighting in Tigray became more complex each day as Ethiopian Defense Forces, Eritrean Defense Forces, and ethnic militias frought Tigrayan forces. There was also a build-up of Sudanese government forces on the Ethiopia-Sudan border where some 50,000 refugees have fled into Sudan.
The fighting continued until November 2022 when a peace agreement was signed in Pretoria, South Africa. The fighting had killed some 600,000 people, wounded many, and left the economy in ruins. The economy is largely agriculture, and thus food supply is menaced. The United Nations World Food Program had been halted due to the fighting and due to accusations that the federal government had taken food aid destined for Tigray for use elsewhere. The U.N. program has now been restored but is as yet inadequate. It takes time to restore agricultural production, and it takes time for refugees and the displaced to return to their homes.
The consequences of armed conflict can take a long time to heal. Thus it is important that conflict resolution efforts be made at the first signs of dangerous tensions.
René Wadlow, Association of World Citizens
#The_UN_Goals #peace #apart
