Atrocities in Ethiopia's Tigray Region

In the early 2020s, Tigray, the northernmost region of Ethiopia, was involved in an ongoing civil conflict involving the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the Ethiopian federal government, regional militias, and the military from neighboring Eritrea. The civil war erupted in Tigray in November 2020, leading to widespread humanitarian crises. Estimates suggest that between 162,000 and 378,000 individuals died, and millions of others were displaced. Tigray faced severe food shortages, which worsened due to the inability of aid workers to get access to those who needed food the most. In addition to free speech being curtailed, atrocities were reported in the region, including ethnic cleansing, rape, and torture.

Background

The conflict in Ethiopia involved the Ethiopian military, regional militias, and troops from Eritrea against the TPLF, which began in the 1970s as a militia fighting against Ethiopia’s Marxist military dictatorship. The TPLF dominated leadership coalitions for many years at the national level, despite the Tigrayan people being an ethnic minority in Ethiopia. Tigrayans include 7 percent of the Ethiopian population, while two of the largest ethnic groups—the Oromo and the Amhara—make up more than 60 percent. The Marxist government was overthrown in 1991, and the TPLF's Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) controlled Ethiopia until 2018.

President Meles Zenawi assumed power as Ethiopia was booming economically and the nation aligned with the United States. He became prime minister in 1995 and served until his death in 2012. Zenawi saw Ethiopia through a time of tremendous progress and secured aid from the United States and the United Kingdom (UK). He also participated in the negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan following their 2011 split. Zenawi also backed the peacekeeping missions in Sudan. After his death, the TPLF saw its power weaken. Anti-government protests began in 2016, and Abiy Ahmed became prime minister in 2018. Abiy fostered a new relationship with President Isaias Afwerki of neighboring Eritrea, which had poor relations with the Tigrayans. As a result, Abiy and Isaias signed a peace deal ending twenty years of conflict. Abiy won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019.

Abiy sought to diminish the power that the TPLF had because it created tension between him and the Tigrayan leaders. In September 2020, the Tigrayans held regional elections to defy Abiy, who postponed voting across Ethiopia because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In November 2020, the TPLF attacked a military base in Tigray, propelling the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments into war. The two parties were involved in the conflict through November 2022, when the parties reached a peace deal.

Overview

In September 2022, investigators backed by the United Nations (UN) said they found evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by both sides in the conflict—the Ethiopian government forces, Eritrea’s military, and the Tigray forces. The International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia United Nations Human Rights Council also said the government forces of Ethiopia had starved civilians as a war tactic, and Ethiopian and Eritrean forces committed sexual slavery. The commission also noted that the Ethiopian government restricted telecommunications, electricity, banking, and access to humanitarian aid to Tigrayans. The government was also found to have committed crimes against humanity, including murder, torture, rape, and sexual violence. Ethnic cleansing was also believed to have been taking place in western Tigray. In November 2022, Ethiopia and the TPLF ended the war with a peace agreement. The Ethiopian federal government promised to restore Tigray’s services and stop blocking access for aid agencies. The TPLF agreed to demobilize its armed forces. The implementation of the deal was to be monitored by a team of experts overseen by the African Union (AU), a group of fifty-five member states, which brokered the deal.

In March 2023, the United States released a report concluding that all parties to the conflict had committed war crimes. The report had no direct US policy implication, but it gave weight to previous allegations regarding crimes committed and calls for prosecution. On his visit to Ethiopia, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said all parties must acknowledge the atrocities and be held accountable for them. He also gave credence to the progress made in the peace deal that ended the Tigray conflict. Blinken did not mention any changes to Ethiopia’s part in a US trade program. During the war, the US government restricted economic and security assistance to Ethiopia and cut access to the US African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a program that boosted the nation’s textile industry. He announced a $331 million aid package that was designed to repair relations that were damaged during the two-year war. These funds were not focused on a group or a region, and increased the amount of US aid to Ethiopia to more than $780 million in 2023. Soon after assuming office, the Trump Administration slashed the aid budget in 2025.

It was estimated that over 20 million people needed humanitarian assistance in Ethiopia. In 2023, the suspension of food aid by major agencies affected approximately 20 million people across Ethiopia, with reports of deaths due to hunger in Tigray. International food assistance to Tigray was suspended for more than two months pending an investigation into reports of theft and diversion. The risk, if the suspension of food aid was to continue, was that an entire nation of more than one hundred million people could be affected. Also, that area was facing one of the worst droughts in decades. The amount of stolen food aid was enough to feed 134,000 people for a month. The food, which was bound for needy people, was being sold in markets or stacked at commercial flour mills. The UN World Food Programme hoped to restart distributing food assistance as early as July 2023. Though aid convoys resumed in parts of Tigray by late 2024, security concerns and funding restraints continued to limit and delay this aid. An investigation into the thefts by Tigrayan officials found that regional and federal government officials and Eritrean soldiers were involved. As per a 2026 report, about 80 percent of population in Tigray regions is in need of emergency support.

In March 2025, tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea escalated, sparking fears of a new conflict. The African Union and various international agencies expressed concern, emphasizing the need for diplomatic efforts to prevent further regional instability. ​In April 2025, Meta faced a $2.4 billion lawsuit in Kenya over allegations that it contributed to violence in Ethiopia by failing to curb hate speech and incitement on Facebook. Despite the 2022 deal “Agreement for Lasting Peace Through a Permanent Cessation of Hostilities” and ongoing efforts of peace, the situation remains fragile in the region and tensions often rise as could be seen when Ethiopian Airlines cancelled flights to Tigray region after clashes in early 2026.

Bibliography

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