The authorities of Tigray accused the Ethiopian government of not allowing any access to humanitarian aid after the first 21 trucks of the World Food Program widely documented by the media in recent weeks.
According to the government of Mekelle, only a first – according to their version – convoy received authorization to enter Tigray’s territory through the regional state of Afar, being used by the media to promote a cooperative image of the government in Addis Ababa.
On the contrary, all subsequent convoys were blocked under various pretexts, drastically limiting the number of foodstuffs entering and humanitarian aid.
New tensions in Ethiopian internal politics arose following the announcement of the annexation by the regional state of Amhara of about 280 hectares of land administratively part of the regional state of Oromia. According to the regional authorities of Oromia, in fact, a large strip of territory in Northern Showa, near the Kimbibit district, which administratively falls under its jurisdiction, would be transferred by the Amhara authorities under their control.
No official communiqué has clarified the scope and motivations of the decision, although the administrative authorities of Northern Showa have reported an action carried out thanks to the presence of Amhara military units on site.
The dynamics of events are part of a wider problem that now has its roots at the end of the last century, when it began a gradual process of land acquisition of local farmers, driven by a political action supported by the Amhara government.
The current tensions risk to reignite a conflict that has never died down, with the risk of extending the scope of territorial instability well beyond the borders of Tigray.
