Letters from Ethiopia - Final Chapter
Since September, correspondence with Abye has become limited, due to the conflict in the Tigray that began over 4 months ago in November (O’Grady, 2020). Deepened ethnic and political tensions between the federal government, headed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in Addis Ababa and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in the northern Tigray region exploded into a military confrontation (Walsh and Latif Dahir, 2021). This has resulted in a humanitarian crisis with hundreds killed and over half a million people displaced, with the situation continuing to worsen (Gavin, 2021).
Despite recent troubles, the latest correspondence from Abye in March of this year brings some good news: “Greetings! I pray that all my Ethiopian travelers and your loved ones are in good health and spirit. It has now been 4 months since the conflict in Tigray began, we thought it ended for good but unfortunately there are still remnants of the [those] continuing to cause havoc… Despite all the drama, we are doing fine. [My] daughter attends school 3 days a week. I am able to provide for my family thanks to your support. [We] keep our faith that the pandemic will end soon and that normalcy will return. I want to thank you all for your support and kindness in my time of need, something that will remain unforgettable in my heart. Please stay safe!”
Gavin, Michelle. 2021. “The Conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region: What to Know.” Council on
Foreign Relations, February 10, 2021.
https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/conflict-ethiopias-tigray-region-what-know?utm_source=dailyb
rief&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyBrief2021Mar26&utm_term=DailyNewsBr
ief.
Latif Dahir, Abdi. 2020. “Ethiopia Announces Arrests in Prominent Singer’s Killing.” New York
Times, November 5, 2020.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/11/world/africa/ethiopia-hachalu-hundessa.html.
Latif Dahir, Abdi and Declan Walsh. 2021. “Why Is Ethiopia at War With Itself?” New York
Times, April 1, 2021.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/05/world/africa/ethiopia-tigray-conflict-explained.html.
O'Grady, Siobhán. 2020. “What is behind the conflict in Ethiopia?” The Washington Post,
November 23, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/11/17/ethiopia-tigray-conflict-what-is-happening/.