 The government has also been accused of playing a key role in a number of civilian victims who died of starvation for preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid. And Tigrayan forces have also been accused of raping, looting, and murdering the Amhara and Afar groups (Nyadera & Osedo, 2023).
2.2 Causes, Conditions, and Actors Involved in the Conflict
Cause
This conflict has started since November 2020 caused by allegations of fraud by the Tigray People's Liberation Front in the postponed general election of Abiy Ahmed, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. The postponement of the election was caused by the Covid-19 pandemic which was originally going to be held in March 2020. Thus, the TPLF held its own general elections in September 2020 in Tigray.Â
Where the results of this election were won by the TPLF with 98% of the seats and the federal government only 2% of the seats. However, Abiy considers the election to be illegal and an illegitimate result. As for TPLF, the federal government's term should end in October
This led to tensions between Abiy Ahmed's government and the TPLF which culminated on November 4, 2020 with the use of military force after Abiy declared that the TPLF had begun military operations against the federal government in several parts of Ethiopia.Â
In addition, Abiy also considered the attack a serious act of treason and accused the TPLF of fueling religious and ethnic conflicts that caused the situation in Ethiopia to spiral out of control. In response, the federal government has sent troops in an operation known as "Law Enforcement" to retake the Mekelle region, the capital of Tigray.Â
On November 28, 2020, the government declared victory after successfully reoccupying Mekelle and detaining 64 TPLF members. In addition, military forces from the TPLF and Ethiopia attempted to bring each other down.
During this operation, federal forces received assistance from the Eritrean military. Then, this conflict was also caused by unilateral political decisions and reforms carried out by Abiy Ahmed. Where, this is not welcomed by Tigray residents because it is considered an attempt to centralize power (Nyadera & Osedo, 2023). In other words, that this conflict was triggered by general elections, the push for political reform and the struggle for power.Â
As well as because of political and ideological differences. Therefore, this conflict not only affects both sides of the conflict, but also has a significant impact on Ethiopian society as a whole.
Condition
