27 Jun Politics of Severance: Ethiopia at the Crossroads

Víctor Carmona

School of Politics, Economics & Global Affairs, IE University, Madrid, Spain.

Bachelor in International Relations.

E-mail: vcarmona.ieu2022@student.ie.edu.

Abstract

This paper examines the current state of affairs in Ethiopian politics in the aftermath of the Tigray War (2020-2022), focusing on ethnic armed conflicts, regional instability, multiple humanitarian crises affecting the country (AIDS, famines), and the ongoing democratic backsliding with a retrospective view. Some international approaches are revisited in order to assess Ethiopia’s pivot towards Beijing and Riyadh and the possible illiberal impact this may have on the policies of Abiy Ahmed´s second government after the 2021 elections. In addition to that, the relation between Addis Ababa and neighboring countries in the Horn of Africa is analyzed comparatively. Proposals are discussed in order to tackle the increasing tensions between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and the Federal Government, highlighting the role that several international actors (from the African Union to the United Nations) may have in fostering dialogue and reconciliation during the current crisis of the humanitarian assistance model.

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Keywords: Ethiopia, Tigray, TPLF, Abiy Ahmed, Horn of Africa, Post-Conflict Mediation.