Security Council:

Leading into this week’s meeting of the Security Council, unrest rises between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian government as the TPLF moves closer to the capital, Addis Ababa. 

Tigray is the northernmost region in Ethiopia and is home to Tigrayan, Irob, and Kunama peoples. Tigrayans make up roughly 6 to 7 percent of Ethiopia’s population, yet the TPLF became one of the most powerful rebel forces in the country. The TPLF was formed in the mid-1970s as a small militia in response to the marginalization of the Tigrayan peoples. In 1991, the alliance established between the TPLF and the government collapsed. 

Anti-government protests in 2016 paved the way for Abiy Ahmed to become prime minister of Ethiopia in 2018. Prime Minister Ahmed removed all Tigrayan individuals from the government and began a military campaign in the Tigray region. The conflict has left thousands of individuals dead, displaced more than two million people from their homes, and have pushed regions of the county into famine. 

A United Nations investigation has concluded that both the Ethiopian government and TPLF have “committed violations of international human rights, some of which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.” 

Concerns of war rise in Ethiopia as the TPLF and its allies (Tigray Defense Force and the Oromo Liberation Army) move closer to Addis Ababa. A spokesman for the Ethiopian government said that it would agree to ceasefire negotiations only if the TPLF stop their advance, retreat from the Amhara and Afar regions and end its attacks. In response, a spokesperson for the TPLF stated that retreating before ceasefire negotiations began was “an absolute non-starter.” 

As tensions between the two sides rise, the United Nations and Member States are reacting. On 12 November, the United States of America announced sanctions on the Eritrea military and political party for their support of the Ethiopian government in Tigray. 

Along with the conflict in Ethiopia, the Security Council is tasked with addressing situations in Libya, Yemen, Syria, Israel and Palestine, Sudan, Mali and the COVID-19 pandemic.