Ethiopia on the Brink: Abiy Ahmed’s Risky Power Play and the Growing Threat of War

Ethiopia is going through a deep political and societal crisis, marked by ethnic tensions, economic problems, and increasing instability. The devastating civil war in the Tigray region (2020–2022) left the country in a state of exhaustion and uncertainty. Although the Pretoria peace agreement brought temporary calm, the rifts between the Ethiopian federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) remain deep.

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Tigray power struggle tests Abiy Ahmed’s fragile peace in Ethiopia

On 11 March, Tigrayan security forces loyal to a faction of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) seized control of several major towns in Tigray, Ethiopia’s northernmost region, raising fears that the country may be careening towards another civil war. The military takeover marked a dramatic escalation in a long-running feud between Debretsion Gebremichael, the TPLF’s chairman, and Getachew Reda, Tigray’s interim regional administration president. It also represented a direct challenge to the authority of Ethiopia’s federal government, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who has yet to make a statement on the affair. Continue reading...

Ethiopia PM rules out war with Eritrea over Red Sea access

Ethiopian Prime Minister has ruled out the possibility of war with Eritrea regarding access to the Red Sea. The statement reflects a commitment to peaceful resolution of issues between the two countries. Tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea have historical roots but the current stance indicates a desire to avoid military conflict. The Prime Minister's comments may aim to foster regional stability and improve diplomatic relations. This decision could have implications for trade and economic access for Ethiopia, which is landlocked. Continue reading...

Abiy Ahmed’s agricultural revolution is too good to be true

AFRICA HAS a new breadbasket—or so says Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia’s prime minister. Thanks to a state-led programme of agricultural modernisation the country, once a byword for famine, claims to have gone from importing around a quarter of its wheat to being self-sufficient and exporting a large surplus in the five years to 2023. Last year Ethiopia even grew as much wheat as Ukraine, an important grain exporter, according to official figures. Continue Reading...

The Abiy Ahmed Era

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