The nine month battle over the Tigray region in Ethiopia

A protester waves the Ethiopian flag during a rally against pro-TPLF forces (Tigray People's Liberation Front) and to support for Ethiopia's armed forces in Addis Ababa on August 08, 2021. (Photo by Amanuel Sileshi / AFP)

“Volatile and unpredictable.” That’s how the situation in Ethiopia’sTigray region was described by the United Nations this week.

For nine months, Ethiopia’s government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) have battled for control of Ethiopia's northernmost region.

Last fall, the regional government (controlled by TPLF Forces, still loyal to Tigray’s former ruling party, seized a key Ethiopian military base at Sero.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed countered with a federal offensive against the region. He called the attack a "treason that will never be forgotten."

Since then, thousands of lives have been lost, more than a million people have been displaced, and a major refugee crisis has gotten worse.

The U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, is heading to Ethiopia to push for an end to the increased fighting.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan announced the trip to the region this week.

Sullivan tweeted, “Months of war have brought immense suffering and division to a great nation that won’t be healed through more fighting…We call on all parties to urgently come to the negotiating table.”

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