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Ethiopia’s “avoidable” civil war
the history of a multinational country
IN THE NEWS:
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, but now he is calling on “all capable Ethiopians” to join the federal army in fighting the Tigray, a nation within Ethiopia. See WSJ. The Tigray region of Ethiopia and its people have been at the center of this conflict for the last ten months. In June, Tigray People’s Liberation Front shockingly defeated Ethiopia’s government forces and captured the regional capital of Tigray, a development that has changed the nature of the conflict and may turn it into a widescale civil war that has the potential of disrupting the region — the Horn of Africa. See NYTimes. Already, reports indicate massacres, sexual assaults and ethnic cleansing. About two million people have been displaced, and famine is now an imminent danger for hundreds of thousands.
To better understand the history of Ethiopia, including America’s perception of constant warfare and famine there, we spoke with Professor Etana Dinka, who joined us from London. Dr. Dinka teaches African History at the James Madison University and has written extensively about Ethiopia’s history, including a book titled Society, Revolution and Military Intervention in Ethiopian Politics.
