By The Guardian
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
Aregawi was building a tour-guiding business when war struck Ethiopia’s Tigray region in 2020. He spent the next two years fighting on the frontline. Now he is among those who fear Tigray is on the brink of conflict once more.
“We don’t want to become a battleground, but it seems like war is near, maybe even inevitable,” he said.
The war between Tigray’s rebellious rulers and Ethiopia’s federal government ended in 2022, leaving about 600,000 people dead and nearly 10% of women aged between 15 and 49 living in Tigray raped, according to a British Medical Journal study.
But the failure to implement most of the ceasefire’s provisions – including the return of nearly 1 million displaced people – and a scramble over resources has split the ruling Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) party.
Tensions escalated this month when Tigray’s interim president, Getachew Reda, tried to fire three senior military commanders, having previously accused his forces of attempting a coup.
A coup now appears to have taken place. Last week, a rival TPLF faction, led by the party chair Debretsion Gebremichael, installed its officials in provincial government offices. It also took over the mayor’s office and the main radio station in the regional capital, Mekelle. Getachew fled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital. READ MORE…
