
Adane Alemayehu Tadesse, a Visiting Libra Scholar at the University of Maine, will present a lecture on the crisis in Ethiopia. The lecture will cover Ethiopia’s general history and politics and the roots of the current conflicts, particularly in the Tigray, Oromia, and Amhara regions. Ethiopia is a multi-ethnic state with a peculiar historical path of state formation compared to other African states. Notably, the battle of Adwa (1896) where Ethiopia triumphed over colonial Italy, and its support for anti-colonial movements across Africa, have placed the country in a unique historical plateau.
As a result, Ethiopia is viewed as a source of inspiration by Africans who languished under the helm of European colonialism. However, since the introduction of ethnic federalism in 1991 Ethiopia emerged as the Babylon of the present-day world where division and mistrust among the various ethnic groups have taken root and eventually led to ethnic violence and later evolved into internal conflicts. This phenomenon peaked following the 2018 transition that saw the coming of the current Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed who waged war against its people shortly after winning the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. In light of such context, the lecture will attempt to situate the ongoing political and security crisis in Ethiopia in a historical context.