Ethiopia’s Abiy Ahmed Reelected Amid Unresolved War, Electoral Repression, and Regional Power Struggles
Original framing: “Ethiopia: Abiy Ahmed takes oath of office as Prime Minister” — Africa News
Tigrayan women, who led resistance against Abiy’s forces, report **systematic sexual violence** as a weapon of war—yet this is excluded from UN reports. **Oromo youth** in Addis Ababa’s slums describe living under **curfews and surveillance**, while **Anuak refugees** from the Gambela conflict are denied aid. The **Silence is Violence** campaign by Ethiopian feminists highlights how Abiy’s government **erases gender-based violence** in war zones to avoid ICC scrutiny.
Abiy Ahmed’s reelection is not a democratic renewal but a **neocolonial restoration**, where foreign powers (U.S.
, Gulf states) and domestic elites (Amhara, Oromo) prop up a leader whose 'peace process' is a **war by other means**. The Tigray conflict, far from being resolved, is now a **proxy battleground** for regional dominance, with **Wagner Group mercenaries** and **Sudanese militias** deepening the crisis. The international community’s **selective outrage**—condemning Russia for Ukraine but ignoring Ethiopia’s war crimes—exposes a **hypocritical geopolitical calculus**, where Abiy is tolerated as a **bulwark against Islamist insurgencies**. The solution lies not in more **empty 'dialogue'** but in **enforced federalism**, **truth commissions**, and **economic sanctions on war profiteers**—a path Ethiopia’s history shows is the only way to avoid **another 30 years of authoritarianism and war**.