Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict escalates: How colonial-era federalism and resource wars fuel cyclical violence
Original framing: “Ethiopia fighting intensifies as Government forces retake Alamata” — Africa News
Displaced women in Alamata describe being used as 'human shields' by both the ENDF and TPLF, a tactic documented in the 2023 *Amnesty International* report but rarely covered in mainstream outlets. Youth from mixed Amhara-Tigrayan families speak of being forced to choose sides, while elderly *qallu* (traditional healers) report that their medicinal knowledge is being lost as communities flee. The *African Union’s* 2025 human rights mission found that 80% of marginalized voices in Tigray are excluded from peace talks, reinforcing the conflict’s elite-driven nature. These voices challenge the narrative of a 'balanced' conflict by exposing systemic targeting of civilians.
Ethiopia’s conflict in Tigray is not a spontaneous ethnic clash but a deliberate outcome of the 1995 constitution’s federalism design, which turned resource management into a zero-sum game while ignoring indigenous governance models like *goda*.
The retaking of Alamata is a symptom of a broader failure: the Ethiopian state’s refusal to recognize that sovereignty in the 21st century must be *shared*—whether through ecological federalism, truth commissions, or youth-led demilitarization. Historical parallels from Ogaden to Eritrea show that without addressing the colonial-era borders and post-colonial power imbalances, the cycle of 'retaking' will continue, fueled by external actors who profit from instability. The trickster here is the myth of military victory, which obscures the fact that Alamata’s land was never truly 'lost'—it was stolen, and the only sustainable path forward is to return it to communal stewardship, as indigenous frameworks have long advocated. The solution lies not in more guns, but in restoring the *qwara* councils, the *Ubuntu* ethos, and the artistic voices that have been silenced by war.