The conflict in Tigray (2020-2022). Conditioning factors and actors involved.

Abstract

Ethiopia is a state of great strategic importance on the African continent. In 2020 the Ethiopian political system, based on regional division by ethnicity, was being modified to a more centralized system. In addition, Ethiopia was deploying different economic development strategies such as the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and diversifying its sea outlets. This context was interrupted by the outbreak of armed conflict in Tigray, where the predominant ethnic elites clashed for political control. External actors, such as Egypt and Eritrea, also intervene in the dispute. The conflict is still ongoing in the course of 2022, triggering an escalation of violence and armed actions that have had an impact on political instability and economic slowdown in Ethiopia, and if it spreads, it may cause adverse effects in an unstable region such as the Horn of Africa.