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Observers Worry Tigray Fighting is Shifting to Ethnic Conflict

Mohammed Yusuf

   NAIROBI - Theconflict in Ethiopia's Tigray regionappears to
   beescalating,with reports that Tigrayan and Amhara forces are
   recruiting more youths to fight in the country's north. Aid agencies
   are warning that a drawn-out war in Ethiopia would cost thousands more
   lives and worsen food insecurity.
   Localmedia reports forces fromEthiopia'sAmhara, Oromia and
   Sidamaregionare mobilizing to attackTigrayan forces, a few weeks after
   Ethiopia's government declared aunilateral cease-fire in the country's
   north.

   Manynow fear the fighting in Tigraymay turn into an ethnic conflict.
   "In the last three-four days, the fighting is over there. The TPLF
   wants to go back and take some of those lands which belonged to the
   Amhara, which were taken in the last 27 years.Soit seems the Amhara are
   resisting and fighting back there.Sothings are not really that great in
   terms of talking about the suffering of the people there," ObangMetho
   who heads the Solidarity Movement for New Ethiopia, an organization
   fighting for social justice told VOA. Metho says the fighting is
   concentrated at theTigray-Amharaborder.
   The disputed territories are theWelkait,Tegede, Humera,Telemteand Raya
   districts. The Amharaclaimthe land was taken from them whenthe Tigrayan
   People's Liberation Fronttookcontrol of the national government in
   1991.

   Amhara, the second biggest ethnic group in Ethiopia, took over some
   disputed areas between the two federal states in the north of the
   country last year.
   This week, the government in Addis Ababa, led by Prime Minister Abiy
   Ahmed, threatenedto enditscease-fire,blaming Tigray rebel forces for
   provocation.
   Ethiopian political commentator Befekadu Hailu says the conflict
   between the Amhara and Tigray needs a political solution.
   "Since Ethiopian politics is shaped by ethnicity and regions are named
   after ethnic groups, it sounds like the ethnic groups are fighting,"
   Hailu told VOA. "So very distinct, the Tigray regional state has its
   own militia force and Amhara regional state has its own militia.Sothese
   militias are receiving instructions from their regionalgovernmentsand
   they are fighting because they are instructed by their political
   leaders.Soit's not some random and communal driven conflict but it's a
   politically driven one."
   Fisseha Tekle, an Ethiopian researcher for rights group Amnesty
   International, says civilians are caught in the latest fighting in the
   north and security forces are carrying out discriminatory arrests.
   "The situation remainsdireand the conflict seems to escalate this week.
   But what follows is that since the withdrawal of the Ethiopian national
   defense force in parts of Tigray, there has been a wave of arrests and
   detention targeting Tigrayans in Addis and out of Addis.Sowe have
   spoken to family members, lawyers and friends of those people who are
   affected.Soit shows that Tigrayans are being targeted by Ethiopian
   security forces," Tekle said.
   TheTigrayconflicthas drivensome 50,000 people into neighboring Sudanand
   caused a hunger crisisaffecting millions.The regionis largelycut off
   from the rest of the country and aid agenciesare strugglingto access
   the area to provide needed humanitarian and medical assistance.

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