During President Barack Obama’s 2015 trip to East Africa, he praised Ethiopia as a symbol
of political stability and economic prosperity in Africa.
However in the time since, the country has seen dramatic changes.
Economic growth has slowed, a ongoing drought has threatened food security, and clashes
between citizens and government forces have left hundreds dead.
The United Nations, the US government, human rights organizations and most recently, an
Ethiopian athlete at the 2016 Summer Games have all spoken out against the violence.
So why is Ethiopia falling apart?
Well, much of Ethiopia’s domestic dissent is aimed at its ruling party - the Ethiopian
People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, or EPRDF.
Soon after they took power in 1991, the EPRDF divided Ethiopia along ethnic lines - literally.
The country is made up of nine regions, each of which is named after the ethnicity of its
inhabitants.
The EPRDF strongly favors the interests of Tigrayans, who populate the Tigray region.
Although ethnic Tigrayans only make up roughly 6 percent of the population, their representatives
have seized 100 percent of seats in parliament.
Unsurprisingly, the EPRDF is largely viewed as corrupt, and the party as a whole allegedly
wields unchecked authority on the press, the military, the lawmaking process and the economy.
In November 2015, this existing geopolitical tension erupted into protests, which were
concentrated in the region belonging to Ethiopia’s largest ethnic population - the Oromos.
This region is mostly mostly made up of farmland, and in 2008, the state began leasing large
portions of it to foreign governments.
This intensified the Oromos’ existing frustration over the state’s so-called “master plan”
to expand the country’s capital city into their land.
The government later nixed the plan out of “huge respect” for the Oromos people.
However, it wasn’t enough to appease the people, and in July 2016, protests spread
to a second region, which is home to the second largest ethnic group, the Amharas.
Instead of leaving regional police to mitigate the protests, the government has sent in the
military and the infamous anti-terrorism task force, which has allegedly fired live rounds
into groups of protesters.
These actions are tacitly permitted under Ethiopia’s controversial Anti-terrorism
law, which gives the state sweeping powers to mitigate the threat of extremist ideologies.
Since the law came into force in 2009, it has been used to justify the kidnappings,
torture and arbitrary detention of anyone who vocally opposes the government.
This is all happening as Ethiopia suffers from its worst drought in half-a-century,
primarily affecting the country’s rural population.
El Nino-induced rain shortages have killed up to 90 percent of crops in some areas, reportedly
leaving as many as 10 million people in need of food aid.
Of course, the Ethiopian government did not induce the drought.
However it has intensified much of the populations’ ill-feelings toward the state, as public officials
reportedly ignored early warning signs of an environmental crisis, in an attempt to
preserve the narrative of economic success and prosperity.
With this delayed response, the country is far from obtaining its appeal for $1.4 billion
dollars in international aid.
Ethiopia’s environmental and political problems show no sign of slowing down.
Making matters worse, the government has effectively closed off the country from the media.
Foreign correspondents encounter excessive hurdles in obtaining press visas, and local
journalists are reportedly harassed or jailed for reporting on the unrest or providing information
to human rights groups.
With little international coverage and seemingly no end to the government’s violent reign,
the country will likely remain
in turmoil.