Once the great hope of Africa, Ethiopia is descending into chaos before our eyes (Telegraph)
Posted: 15 Nov 2021, 17:55
An army of rebels are just 200 miles from the capital – prompting fears of a humanitarian catastrophe
One of the great tragedies of the 21st century could be unfolding before our eyes. A country that just a few years ago was the great hope of Africa and one of the largest recipients of UK aid is descending into chaos.
An army of battle-hardened rebels are pressing towards the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, to oust the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a Nobel peace prize winner and until recently a darling of the West.
It looks like a fight to the death. A final rebel offensive could be weeks, if not days away. Conversely, the rebels – whose supply lines are stretched – could be crushed. Either outcome would spell disaster for the ethnically-fractured nation, which until recently, was one of the fastest-growing economies on earth.
The country of 115 million risks tumbling into a Yugoslavia-style breakup, unleashing a humanitarian catastrophe that would be felt across eastern Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
Ethiopia hit rock bottom in the 1980s when the Derg, a Marxist dictatorship, helped plunge the nation into a devastating famine. Michael Buerk's landmark reporting for the BBC grabbed the world's attention, prompting the launch of LiveAid.
In the 1990s, the Tigrayan's People's Liberation Front (TPLF) led a coalition of rebel groups to oust the Marxist dictatorship.
The Tigrayans are just one of more than 80 ethnic groups in Ethiopia but despite its small size, the group has played a huge role in Ethiopia’s modern history and dominated the country’s politics for almost 30 years up to 2018.
For much of that time, Ethiopia grew at an extraordinary pace, averaging 9.4 per cent growth a year for the last decade. Its vast workforce, tourism income from its medieval religious sites, as well as flower and coffee exports all helped the nation progress. However, it is still one of the poorest on earth, with a per capita income of $850, according to the World Bank.
Continue reading https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-heal ... haos-eyes/
One of the great tragedies of the 21st century could be unfolding before our eyes. A country that just a few years ago was the great hope of Africa and one of the largest recipients of UK aid is descending into chaos.
An army of battle-hardened rebels are pressing towards the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, to oust the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a Nobel peace prize winner and until recently a darling of the West.
It looks like a fight to the death. A final rebel offensive could be weeks, if not days away. Conversely, the rebels – whose supply lines are stretched – could be crushed. Either outcome would spell disaster for the ethnically-fractured nation, which until recently, was one of the fastest-growing economies on earth.
The country of 115 million risks tumbling into a Yugoslavia-style breakup, unleashing a humanitarian catastrophe that would be felt across eastern Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
Ethiopia hit rock bottom in the 1980s when the Derg, a Marxist dictatorship, helped plunge the nation into a devastating famine. Michael Buerk's landmark reporting for the BBC grabbed the world's attention, prompting the launch of LiveAid.
In the 1990s, the Tigrayan's People's Liberation Front (TPLF) led a coalition of rebel groups to oust the Marxist dictatorship.
The Tigrayans are just one of more than 80 ethnic groups in Ethiopia but despite its small size, the group has played a huge role in Ethiopia’s modern history and dominated the country’s politics for almost 30 years up to 2018.
For much of that time, Ethiopia grew at an extraordinary pace, averaging 9.4 per cent growth a year for the last decade. Its vast workforce, tourism income from its medieval religious sites, as well as flower and coffee exports all helped the nation progress. However, it is still one of the poorest on earth, with a per capita income of $850, according to the World Bank.
Continue reading https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-heal ... haos-eyes/
