A look at how Ethiopia’s wars, sea ambitions and Nile dam fuel fears of wider conflict
Ethiopia faces internal instability as the peace agreement in the Tigray region has effectively collapsed, leading to renewed fighting. The conflict is further complicated by regional power struggles involving neighboring Eritrea, Nile water rights, and competition for Red Sea access.
Why it matters
The instability in Ethiopia poses a significant risk to regional security and humanitarian conditions in the Horn of Africa.
NAIROBI, Kenya: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for making peace with neighboring Eritrea. A year later, their armies joined forces against Tigrayan fighters in northern Ethiopia. Now the alliance has unraveled, raising fears of war between the former allies.
The confrontation threatens a region still recovering from the 2020-2022 war, which caused an estimated 500,000 civilian deaths through violence, famine and collapsed health services, according to researchers at Ghent University in Belgium.
A wider struggle over power, seaports and Nile waters links Ethiopia’s internal conflicts with rivalries stretching from the Red Sea to Egypt. Here is how the disputes connect.
Renewed fighting wrecks 2022 peace agreement in Tigray
Tigray is Ethiopia’s northernmost region, bordering Eritrea. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF, dominated Ethiopia’s government from 1991 until Abiy took power in 2018.
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