Ethiopia has had a history of ethnic violence. But for a while, it seemed to be heading in the right direction. Former prime minister Meles Zenawi was able to lead the nation through rapid development, securing aid from the United States and the United Kingdom. He was also able to be a voice in the negotiations for the split of Sudan with South Sudan. However, his leadership did not come without turmoil, as he experienced war with people in Eritrea. The Tigray were in power until 2018 when a new prime minister by the name of Abiy Ahmed Ali took over.
Ethiopians and the international community called his victory a new hope for peace. For a while, this seemed true. Ethnic violence was at an all-time low, and he won a Nobel Peace Prize for ending violence in Eritrea. But not too long after this award, violence began to erupt. The prime minister extended his first term, and the Tigray hosted elections without the federal government. Troops were sent and a bloody civil war began. Human rights activists began to voice the Ethiopians’ harm to civilians in the region and wanted to broker peace.
10 months ago, the Tigray brokered a peace deal that was thought to have ended the violence. However, an International Human Rights expert has stated that the murder of civilians has been continuing since the deal. Civilians in Oromia have been arrested, tortured, and killed.
Where has the international community been? How is it possible that we continue to fail and not broker peace? The United Nations was involved in Ethiopia under the peacekeeping mission The United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) to help broker a ceasefire in 2000. But in 2008, that mission was dissolved. Since then the international community has been ignoring Ethiopia. NATO has stepped in only as support with little military action. The international community needs to do more.
It is as easy as heading back to the drawing board. First off, any time civilians are being tortured or murdered we must step in. If the UN Security Council cannot send a mission, NATO needs to intervene to keep the peace. The international community must also send representatives to hold peace talks alongside the African Union. I also forgot to mention the African Union. I beat this drum a lot, but the African Union needs to use its peacekeeping force to prevent violence against civilians and use its diplomats to help negotiate elections.
The international community has yet again failed another state. Will we ever learn our lesson? I cannot answer that question, but we absolutely need to do more to protect civilians from violence.
Author: Joshua Cheatham