Since Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched a military assault in the Tigray area a year ago, the civil conflict in the country has evolved radically.
Today, Ethiopia is in danger of collapsing as Tigrayan fighters advance near the capital. The civil war has moved dramatically in favour of the rebel forces after a year of violence that has killed thousands of people, displaced over one million people, and driven areas of the nation into hunger.
After forcing government soldiers out of Tigray in June, fighters from Ethiopia’s northern province of Tigray and their allies are pushing south toward Addis Ababa, the capital.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed urged civilians to pick up guns in order to stop the fighters from “pushing the country to its demise”.
Mr Abiy cemented his position in 2019 by forming a new party that was essentially the previous ruling coalition, save the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), who refused to join his faction.
Later in January, the Ethiopian government delisted the TPLF as a legitimate party and designated it as a terrorist organisation in May. It also launched a military assault to apprehend or purge members of the TPLF, among whom were some of Ethiopia’s previous political and military leaders.
Despite international appeals for the conflict to cease, Ethiopian and allied military forces continue to rule the majority of Tigray, and the country’s humanitarian crisis continues to worsen.
