Written by: INcontext International
Article source: www.incontextinternational.org
Ethiopia’s five-month-old ceasefire was broken in late August, dashing hopes for the resumption of peace talks. Both the TPLF (Tigray People’s Liberation Front) and the Ethiopian government have blamed each other for the return to full-blown war. Former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, the African Union (AU) special envoy to the Horn of Africa, had been shuttling between Mekelle and Addis Ababa facilitating talks. A meeting in Kenya was planned, however, the TPLF demanded a precondition for the talks – specifically what it calls the return of ‘Western Tigray’ (Wolkait) to Tigray. The Ethiopian government rejected any preconditions for peace talks.
Just a week prior to the return to open conflict, it was reported that TPLF leaders and designated Ethiopian government negotiators (headed by Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen) had direct talks – something that the peace and security council of the African Union confirmed. The resumption of hostilities along the Raya front came less than 48 hours after the TPLF reportedly published an article entitled “Ethiopia: The African Union cannot deliver peace to Tigray.”
Some analysts believe that it appears that the purpose of the article was to herald the inevitability of war. The TPLF has claimed that the African Union is close to Ethiopian authorities and cannot, therefore, be considered a neutral actor. Simultaneously, in the country’s restive Oromia region, members of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) – designated a terrorist organisation by Addis Ababa – continued their attacks on towns in the country’s most populous region where escalating violence has left hundreds dead.
Ethiopians face not only conflict but also crippling drought in some regions and flooding in others. Millions of people require assistance in parts of southern and northern Ethiopia amid the worst drought in 40 years. In recent years, the Horn of Africa has seen torrential rains, torrid dry spells, catastrophic drought, record floods, and plagues of locusts.
FROM A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
 |  | ±120.5 MILLION |  | 58.36% CHRISTIAN 17.97% EVANGELICAL 37 UNREACHED GROUPS (28.9% of pop.) |
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed, a protestant Christian of mixed parentage (an Oromo Muslim father and Amhara Christian mother), has faced monumental challenges from the instant he became the head of government. An Ethiopian minister describes the battle for Tigray as “a very unnecessary bloodshed between brothers”. He explains that the many Tigrayan members of his own congregation are lovely, committed followers of Jesus. He goes on to say: “I call it [the conflict] an ‘ego war’, between the TPLF elite, who enjoyed power and privilege for the last 27 years, and the new power led by Prime Minister Abiy.
So, the war is between the two powers, but it is very unfortunate that the people have to pay for it, with their lives and their livelihoods.” He asserts that ‘Western Tigray’ was never a contentious issue before the TPLF was in power, and believes that it is simply used as an excuse for conflict, that they do not want peace. He feels that it is deeply unfortunate that Tigray’s leaders cannot find acceptable terms with the federal government, as other provinces have done.
It would most likely require some concessions from the government too, but that is what a peace process would address if both parties were genuinely committed to peace. However, as a Christian, he believes that a very real spiritual battle is being waged: “Ethiopia has a very long Christian history and Tigray is at the centre of that legacy. Many believe that the Ark of the Covenant is in Tigray. The first church, the Church of Mary, the first church on African soil, was planted in the Tigray region.
The Tigray region has a lot of Christian history and because of that, I believe, it’s spiritual warfare for the control of that land – between the power of darkness and the power of light. In the whole of Ethiopia in general there is a spiritual battle going on right now.” He appeals for believers to take hands with Ethiopian believers in rebuilding those areas that have been impacted by war and demonstrating Christ’s love to those who have suffered greatly within these regions.
Please join us in praying for the following:
- For hostilities to cease and for parties on both sides to be willing to return to the negotiating table
- For Christians outside Ethiopia to join their brothers and sisters in Christ within Ethiopia in interceding for a spiritual breakthrough
- For Ethiopian believers to remain steadfast and united in the face of the enemy’s onslaught, that everyone will know that they are Christ’s disciples, because of their love for one another and their ‘enemies’
Click here to KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE weekly newsletter.
Date published: 12/09/2022
Feature image: Image for illustrative purposes only. Drought in Ethiopia/UNICEF Ethiopia. www.flickr.com
DISCLAIMER
JOY! News is a Christian news portal that shares pre-published articles by writers around the world. Each article is sourced and linked to the origin, and each article is credited with the author’s name. Although we do publish many articles that have been written in-house by JOY! journalists, we do not exclusively create our own content. Any views or opinions presented on this website are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the company.
