Population Displacement Due to Tigray Conflict

Many of the countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have contended with violent conflict, civil war, and terrorism since they became independent. In 2022, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and South Sudan probably suffered the most. These conflicts have created humanitarian crises that have spilled over into their neighboring countries. In Ethiopia, many suspect genocide is occurring in the ongoing war between Tigray rebel forces in the north and allied government troops from Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The Tigray region of northern Ethiopia (see Figure 6.19) is home to the ancient Aksumite kingdom, which dates to the early first century. The location of the Kingdom of Aksum is shown in Figure 6.6 of Section 6.2. Trigayans trace their ancestry to as early as 2000 BCE and account for about six percent of Ethiopia's population.

Despite their minority status, Tigrayans dominated Ethiopia from 1991–2018. They are no longer part of the governing coalition because they refused to merge with a new political party in 2019. The 2020 election was postponed due to COVID-19, extending the terms of elected officials beyond the October 2020 constitutional mandate. Tensions escalated when the Tigray rejected this extension.

Warming relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea further escalated tensions. At the forefront of the 1998–2000 Eritrean-Ethiopian War, Tigrayans do not hold Eritrea in high regard. Fighting began in November 2020 and has continued through June 2022. The conflict has spilled over into Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan.

Ethnic violence exacerbated the political conflict when some of Ethiopia's ethnic groups – the Omoro, Amhara, and Tigray – began to target each other. War crimes have been reported on both sides of the conflict. The Ethiopian and Eritrean governments have accused Tigrayans of genocide, while Ethiopia's ethnic groups have made similar claims against each other.