What’s in the news?

• • The conflict that began between Ethiopia’s federal government and the ruling party in the Tigray region in the country’s north last year has since blown up into a full scale crisis in the Horn of Africa.

• The Horn of Africa (alternatively Northeast Africa, and sometimes Somali Peninsula) is a peninsula of East Africa that includes the countries of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.

• It lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden and forms the easternmost projection of the African continent.

• UN agencies have said that hundreds of thousands in Tigray are facing famine, and millions more are at risk. Around 2.2 million people had been displaced by the fighting and many forced to flee to neighbouring countries. 
• Reports have emerged of sexual violence against girls and women in the region. The UN said investigations by news organisations and independent observers had revealed that sexual violence was being used as a “weapon of war”.

What is the cause of the strife?

• The conflict started in November 2020 when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military offensive against regional forces in Tigray.
• He said he did so in response to an attack on a military base housing government troops in Tigray.
• The escalation came after months of feuding between Abiy’s government and leaders of Tigray’s dominant political party.
• For almost three decades, the party was at the centre of power, before it was sidelined by Nobel Peace Prize-winning Abiy, who took office in 2018 after anti-government protests.
• Abiy pursued reforms, but when Tigray resisted, a political crisis ensued.

Reference:

1. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/how-ethiopias-tigray-crisis-is-impacting-the-horn-of-africa-7054436/