War on Tigray

Tigray – the womb of Ethiopia’s grand narratives, a beacon of anti-colonial resistance, and the cradle of an ancient African civilization – was subjected to a genocidal war during 2020-22. The War was primarily designed and executed by the political elites of Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Amhara region. Western leaders have publicly acknowledged that hundreds of thousands Tigrayans perished due to atrocity crimes including siege, starvation crimes, ethnic cleansing, and weaponized rape, even though they remain noncommittal to justice and equitable resolution. You would ask what historical twists put the Tigrayan polity in such a conundrum. How the regimes in Addis Ababa and Asmara as well as Amharan nationalists came to act this way? What explains the West’s indifference? This book provided coherent, well-argued, and, occasionally, unconventional hypotheses along with insightful synopses of the backdrop and drivers of the War on Tigray. I wrote this book during the War, in Mekelle, Tigray, when the federal government put my name on its most-wanted list for no reason other than speaking my mind. The isolation became a contemplative retreat that I used to further analyze the various factors that shaped the troubled relationship between Tigrayans and the Ethiopian state that culminated in this War. The book was enriched by decades-long involvement with various domestic and international stakeholders. My role varied from community organizer to political party member, from election observer to prominent activist, from social media influencer to pioneer in the Ethiopian blogosphere, and from active contributor to various media outlets to the founder of a leading online magazine. You need to read this book to have a well-rounded grasp of the War and the current situation in Ethiopia, as well as the Tigrayan perspective. The chapters revolve around three the years leading up to the War, the historical legacy that fueled the anti-Tigray mobilization, and the genocidal execution of the War. The presentation strove to meet the standards of researched books but is also aimed at being accessible to those with minimal exposure to the subject area. Contents I - Background and Introduction II - End of an Era III - Confluence of the Anti-Tigray Axis IV - Three Years on the Edge V- Positioning for War VI - Legacy of anti-Tigray Policy VII - The Media Carries on the Legacy VIII - Dismembering Tigray as a Strategy IX - The Eritrean Insecurity X - The Role of the West XI - The War Begins Maps Bibliography Index Author@WarOnTigray.com