Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's dramatic move to recentralise governance in Ethiopia has an old and predictable logic to it. Eritrea's leader Isias Afwerki has pushed for it as well. But it has meant Ahmed abrogating the Ethiopian constitution and shredding the underlying political contract between elites from the different regions of Ethiopia. It immediately led to war with Tigray that has literally collapsed Ethiopia's once-mighty military machine. As July ends the Prime Minister has been forced into the dangerous move of mobilising ethnic militias. Matt Bryden argues the only way out is negotiation.
Eritrea is Africa's most closed society and most fiercely authoritarian state. Its President Isaias Afwerki has been president for almost 30 years and is considered one of the continent's most gifted and ruthless strategists. As both Somalia and Ethiopia convulse, the now not so hidden hand of Eritrea's leader has become increasingly apparent as Eritrea very effectively leverages limited resources but deep experience into a disproportionate impact on the entire Horn of Africa. The Elephant in conversation with Matt Bryden.
Ethiopia seems set to enter a new phase of a brutal civil war. For some of the country's communities, an existential contest between a centralising logic in Addis Ababa and self-determination among the regions has begun. Oromo activist and storyteller, Ms Soreti Kadir, argues that the brutality against civilians in Ethiopia is about to intensify and prospects for the Ethiopian state are bleak.
The postponed election and Tigrayan crisis following in the wake of the Oromo crisis have left critical aspects of the Ethiopian democracy in trouble. The future holds so much possibility yet remains very fluid. The question therefore remains, who will blink first, and what is the state of the warring regions? A conversation between The Elephant and Heinrich Boll Foundation.
The postponed election and Tigrayan crisis following in the wake of the Oromo crisis have left critical aspects of the Ethiopian democracy in trouble. The future holds so much possibility yet remains very fluid. The question therefore remains, who will blink first, and what is the state of the warring regions? A conversation between The Elephant and Heinrich Boll Foundation.
Will the ceasefire between Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian government's bring lasting peace to Ethiopia?
Cartoons
Abiy and Amhara nationalism is bringing back the echoes of the Derg era and the upcoming June election is unlikely to resolve current crises; if anything, it will exacerbate them.
When he ascended to power in April 2018 Abiy Ahmed elicited goodwill inside and outside Ethiopia but the continuing humanitarian crisis in the Tigray region is losing him friends.
Authoritarian regimes in Africa may be perfecting the art of shutting down the internet as an advanced form of rigging the elections, with the help of western based internet based companies and platforms.
The Tigrayan people should not, must not, wait for one century, one year or even one more day for the world to acknowledge their plight and rescue them from obliteration.
The nations around the great lakes, that is Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia tend to mirror each other in numerous ways. The older voters are taking stock of the democratic journey as the younger, restless voters come to terms with the cyclical and often slow pace of reforms in electoral justice and voter power. as debated Fatma Karume, Kalundi Serumaga, Adam Abebe, Omar Mahood, moderator Patrick Gathara and host Pauline Otieno-Skaper. A partnership Forum between Heinrich Boll Foundation, Rift Valley Institute, and The Elephant.