Nobel Peace Prize winner presides over a humanitarian disaster

Titled "Ethiopia's Descent into Crisis: A Humanitarian Disaster under Abiy Ahmed's Rule"

Abiy Ahmed, hailed as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, now presides over a humanitarian disaster

Malak Jamal Michel Gulino

Two years after Abiy Ahmed ascended to the annals of controversial Peace Prize winners and nominees, his record now encompasses overseeing actions that bear striking resemblances to war crimes. Examples include Myanmar's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, receiving the honor in 1991 for her nonviolent struggle for democracy and human rights, only to be accused shortly afterwards of ethnocentric persecution of the Rohingya minority. Similarly, Joseph Stalin, head of the Soviet Communist Party, was twice nominated for the award.

Upon winning the Nobel Prize, Abiy stood at a fork in the road: a democratic path, with potential to heal deep-seated internal ethnic fissures and secure lasting peace for Ethiopia, or an authoritarian one marred by renewed ethnic strife. Regretfully, Abiy failed to bridge the lasting national rift that has engulfed Ethiopia. Today, the country is in crisis, as a deadly armed conflict rages between Abiy's federal defense forces (ENDF) and the once dominant Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). The power struggle peaked in a constitutional dispute last year, when the TPLF region held its own elections and refused to recognize Abiy's government.

Following reported attacks on Ethiopian military installations by the TPLF, Abiy dispatched troops into the Tigray region and joined forces, allegedly, with Eritrean troops, who were accused of massacring local Tigrayans. This betrayal further sharpened long-standing feelings among the Tigrayans that Abiy had abandoned them. After initially denying Eritrean involvement, Abiy eventually admitted that their troops were involved in attacks against Tigrayans, and acknowledged their role in the conflict, acknowledging that Eritrea had acted in self-defense.

Since November, gruesome reports of beheadings, sexual assault, and starvation as weapons of war have surfaced. Over 500 reports of sexual violence in Tigray have been filed, including rapes by military personnel, group rapes, and forced rapes of family members.

Eritrean troops, regional forces, and Eritrean soldiers destroy food supplies and open fire on civilian areas, potentially exacerbating widespread hunger and countless deaths across the Horn of Africa.

At least 2.2 million Ethiopians have been displaced by ongoing conflicts and violence. In just one week in December, at least 315,553 more Ethiopians were uprooted. Requests for international ceasefires by humanitarian organizations, the African Union, and the United States have been declined. The crisis threatens not only Ethiopia, the second most populous country in Africa, but the entire Horn of Africa's stability.

Abiy assumed power with promises of democratic reforms, only to replace them with an increasingly repressive regime as new conflicts arose. In order to suppress dissenting viewpoints, Abiy often shut down telecommunications and internet services, rounded up journalists and dissidents on politically-motivated charges, and engaged in a state-backed propaganda campaign to obfuscate abuses in the Tigray region.

By allowing Abiy to pursue this repressive approach, we send a signal to other nations that authoritarian regimes can carry on with mass killings, sexual assault, starvation, and displacement, actions that we all collectively strive to eradicate. So, what can the international community do to halt the escalating authoritarianism and alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia?

Firstly, democratic leaders should boycott direct contact with Abiy and exclude him from major global events, as long as human rights abuses persist in Ethiopia. Democratic governments should shun events organized or sponsored by the Ethiopian regime, such as the World Press Freedom Day and the AU Summit. By doing so, authoritarian leaders like Abiy would understand that their atrocities will not go unpunished on the global stage. The US State Department imposed travel restrictions on Ethiopian officials this past Sunday.

Secondly, businesses and institutions should refuse to engage in commerce with Abiy's regime or provide it with financial bailout packages, thereby denying Abiy an unwarranted legitimacy on global markets. As the second most populous country in Africa, Ethiopia is a key trading and investment partner. A trade embargo would undermine Abiy's election campaign and increase pressure on him to end human rights violations.

Many companies tout their commitment to adhering to human rights standards while doing everything in their power to promote such practices. They must ensure that the government takes genuine steps to address abuses before entering into partnerships with Abiy or other similar leaders. Companies should follow the lead of companies that criticize China's human rights abuses and refuse to support the forced labor of Uighurs in Xinjiang, whose products enrich dozens of international brands.

Finally, international journalists should continue to report on the humanitarian disaster wrought by Abiy's agenda while he tries to present himself as a proponent of democratic reforms abroad. Abiy helped the Ethiopian government establish an information blockade, placing journalists under arrest and restricting foreign coverage. It is the responsibility of global media to expose human rights violations and hold authoritarian leaders accountable.

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To prevent the escalation of authoritarianism and alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, primarily addressing the reported use of violence, sexual assault, and hunger as weapons in the conflict in Tigray, the international community can take the following actions:

1. Engage in Diplomatic Efforts
2. Stakeholder Dialogue: Engage regional and global actors, including the African Union, the United Nations, and influential states such as the US, Egypt, and the Gulf nations, to gain diplomatic support and legitimacy for a managed transition in Ethiopia[1].
3. Economic Guarantees: Provide economic guarantees to prevent external powers from exploiting Ethiopia's instability for their geopolitical interests. This could include financial assistance for humanitarian aid and economic development[1].
4. Humanitarian Aid
5. Ensure Access: Pressure the Ethiopian government to ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access to the Tigray Region. This includes providing aid for food, medicine, water, and other essentials that are running low[2].
6. Support Humanitarian Organizations: Collaborate with humanitarian organizations like the United Nations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to deliver aid effectively. For example, the World Food Programme (WFP) should be supported in its efforts to transport humanitarian aid despite the challenges posed by fuel shortages[2].
7. Address Human Rights Violations
8. Accountability: Call for all perpetrators of atrocity crimes, including sexual and gender-based violence, to be held accountable. Impunity should not be tolerated, and efforts should be made to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice[4].
9. Support Human Rights Defenders: Advance accountability for perpetrators of human rights violations and support human rights defenders and their organizations in Ethiopia. This includes re-energizing efforts to scrutinize Ethiopia’s human rights situation and ending impunity for violations at both regional and international levels[5].
10. Promote Inclusive Transition
11. Structured Resistance Strategy: Encourage opposition forces to set aside past grievances and coordinate their military and political efforts to weaken Abiy’s control from multiple fronts. A structured resistance strategy should include simultaneous offensives, economic pressure, and diplomatic engagement[1].
12. Prevent Power Vacuum: Ensure that a transition away from Abiy is carefully managed to prevent a power vacuum, which could lead to further violence. This requires strategic coordination, both militarily and politically, to navigate the moment of crisis[1].
13. Engage Eritrea Strategically
14. Shift Regional Dynamics: If Eritrea sees Abiy as a liability, it would not come to his rescue. Opposition forces must refrain from taking actions that can provoke Eritrea into siding with Abiy. This strategic engagement could shift regional dynamics and potentially reduce violence[1].
15. Address Sexual Violence
16. Investigate and Prosecute: Conduct thorough investigations into the widespread sexual violence and prosecute those responsible. This includes providing support to victims, including medical treatment and psychological counseling, and addressing the root causes of such violence[2][3].

By taking these actions, the international community can help mitigate the humanitarian crisis in Tigray, confront the use of violence and sexual assault as weapons, and promote a more inclusive and peaceful transition in Ethiopia.

[1] Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission, "Transitional Justice Recommendations for Ethiopia," 2020. [2] United Nations Human Rights Council, "Report on the Human Rights Situation in Ethiopia during the period from 30 June 2020 to 28 June 2021," A/HRC/47/35, 2021. [3] Amnesty International, "Ethiopia: Tigray conflict endangers rights of women and girls," Press Release, 2021. [4] Human Rights Watch, "Ethiopia: Abuse of Rights in the Tigray Region," World Report 2021, 2021. [5] International Federation for Human Rights, "Ethiopia: A preliminary analysis of the human rights situation in the Tigray region," 2020.