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Eritrea

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Ethiopian military forces transport a Saeer KS-19 automatic 100 mm anti-aircraft gun Dec. 5, 2021, in Shewa Robit, Ethiopia.

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A successful peace deal would facilitate humanitarian aid flows, increase regional access to services and spur the eventual return of foreign investment.

Tigrayan Rebels Begin Surrendering Their Heavy Weapons, a Hopeful Sign for Ethiopia

Assessments

A truck, carrying grains to Tigray and belonging to the World Food Programme (WFP), burns out on a route 80 kilometers from Semera in northeastern Ethiopia, on June 10, 2022. 

Economics

Clashes between the government and TPLF rebels will likely persist through at least the end of the year, further complicating efforts to resolve the conflict and mitigate the country's growing humanitarian crisis.

What's Next for Ethiopia's Civil War Amid Renewed Fighting in Tigray?

A photo taken on Jan. 10, 2022, shows an aerial view of Dessie, Ethiopia. The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) occupied the city for over 30 days in October. 

East African Integration

The multitude of stakeholders in the conflict -- each with their own aims and deep-rooted grievances -- will limit the effectiveness of peace initiatives and continue to fuel low-level clashes.

In Ethiopia, Ethnic Violence Endures Despite the Government's 'Humanitarian Truce'

Security

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is seen at a ceremony for the signing of a telecom licensing agreement on June 8, 2021. 

The continued escalation of the regional conflict will further jeopardize the prime minister’s political future and economic reforms. 

A Rebel Victory in Tigray Leaves Ethiopia’s Abiy in Hot Water

Somalia

Sudan

United States

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Members of the Amhara militia fighting alongside Ethiopian forces in Tigray ride on the back of a truck in Gondar, Ethiopia, on Nov. 8, 2020. 

Environment, Science & Technology

The Suitors of Sub-Saharan Africa

Addis Ababa’s military offensive in Tigray could trigger a wider conflict that further erodes the country’s attractiveness for foreign investment. 


What’s at Stake as Ethiopia Barrels Toward Civil War 

COVID-19

Old Leaders in a New Africa

A checkpoint on Sept. 9, 2020, in Mekele, Ethiopia, the day Tigray held regional elections. A military operation against Tigray will not prove easy for the Ethiopian government.

In addition to the secession risk it poses throughout Ethiopia, the conflict could draw in other countries in the region.

Conflict in Tigray Has Major Implications for Ethiopia, and the Region

2020 Second-Quarter Forecast

Covering an area that spans the entire width of the continent beginning at the Sahara Desert and ending at the southernmost tip of South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to countless cultures, languages, religions, plants, animals and natural resources.

Sub-Saharan Africa

<p>Sub-Saharan Africa is a study in diversity. Covering an area that spans the entire width of the continent beginning at the Sahara Desert and ending at the southernmost tip of South Africa, the region is home to countless cultures, languages, religions, plants, animals and natural resources. It&rsquo;s no surprise that it captured the imagination of Europe&rsquo;s earliest explorers &mdash; and that it continues to capture the imagination of current world powers eager to exploit it. And yet despite the region&rsquo;s diversity, Sub-Saharan African countries have common challenges &mdash; transnational terrorism, rapid population growth, endemic poverty and corruption &mdash; that prevent them from capitalizing on their economic potential. The coming years will be critical for the region, especially as its political institutions mature in a rapidly globalizing world.</p>

A close-up shot of the lava lake located inside Ethiopia's Erta Ale volcano. 

Regional peace and economic reforms are opening up Ethiopia's and Eritrea's untapped reserves of the in-demand fertilizer additive, potash. Turning that promise into profit, however, will mean defusing lingering threats to the region's stability.

Unlocking the Power of Potash in the Horn of Africa

2020 Annual Forecast

2019 Fourth-Quarter Forecast

2019 Third-Quarter Forecast

Djibouti

France

Ethiopia is hoping to roll out a navy with France's support, yet it will face challenges -- not least of all because it lacks a coast.

Nearly three decades after it lost its navy, East Africa's biggest heavyweight wants to reestablish an armed maritime fleet. In so doing, though, its lack of sea access will be only one of its problems.

Landlocked Ethiopia Charts a Course for a Navy

Ethiopia's rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) refuted claims by the African Union mediator Olusegun Obasanjo on Jan. 15 that Eritrean forces have withdrawn from the Tigray region, the BBC reported Jan. 19. 

Ethiopia: TPLF Claims Eritrean Forces Still Present in Tigray

Eritrean soldiers have reportedly continued targeting civilians in Ethiopia's Tigray region in the weeks following the Nov. 2 cessation of hostilities signed between the Ethiopian government and the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), AP reported Dec. 2.

Ethiopia: Eritrea Allegedly Still Killing Civilians in Tigray

New satellite images from Maxar Technologies, an American space technology company, show a buildup of Eritrean troops and military equipment on the Eritrean side of the border with Tigray, AP reported Sept. 28.

Ethiopia: Satellite Images Show Eritrean Buildup

Eritrea is mobilizing military reservists across the country to boost its army, which has been fighting alongside Ethiopia in the Tigrayan war since November 2020, BBC reported Sept. 16.

Ethiopia: Eritrea Mobilizes Military Reserves for Tigrayan War

Eritrean forces allegedly joined the renewed clashes in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region and are reportedly carrying out a joint offensive with Ethiopian government forces in northwestern Tigray, according to a statement by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), Reuters reported Sept. 1.

Ethiopia: Eritrea Reportedly Carries Out Joint Offensive With Ethiopian Military

Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) spokesperson Getachew Reda tweeted on May 30 that Eritrean forces attacked Tigrayan forces near the Tigray-Eritrea border on May 24 and that a Tigrayan counteroffensive stopped the offensive around Adi Awala, Tigray, Reuters reported May 31.

Ethiopia: Eritrea Allegedly Launched Offensive on Trigray Forces

The U.S. Treasury Department announced a sanctions package on Eritrea for its contribution to the conflict in Ethiopia, Reuters reported Nov. 12.

Eritrea, U.S.: Sanctions Announced Over Asmara’s Role in Ethiopian War

Ethiopia’s flagship carrier Ethiopian Airlines transported weapons from Addis Ababa to airports in Eritrea following the start of Ethiopia’s conflict in the Tigray region in 2020, CNN reported Oct. 6, citing findings from an investigation the media outlet conducted.

Ethiopia: National Airline Reportedly Transported Weapons to Eritrea

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Eritrea is an East African country on the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Sudan to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Djibouti to the south and Ethiopia to the west.     By many accounts, the country had a traumatic birth. The area that eventually became Eritrea was colonized by Italy in the late 19th century but was then handed over to Ethiopia after the British secured the area after WWII. After decades of uneasy Ethiopian control, a multi-year insurgency eventually succeeded in wearing down the occupying military in 1991.    The end of the bitter conflict stripped Ethiopia of its access to the sea, forcing it to place greater emphasis on its relations with neighboring Djibouti. The newly independent Eritrea, for its part, had to engage in significant state building with a nearly non-existent economy. Nevertheless, Eritrea maintained its aggressive approach to its military, engaging in conflict with Sudan in 1994, Yemen and Djibouti in 1996 and Ethiopia in 1998. The militarism of the 1990s prompted the rise of tighter measures in the 2000s, though the military kept its place at the top of a single-party state hierarchy.     Since then, Eritrea has struggled to break out of its relative isolation from the international community. The lack of international support and the demands of a state on the near-perpetual brink of war with Ethiopia has necessitated heavy burdens on the local population. Balancing the country's lack of financial resources against its security demands is a key challenge for Eritrea's leadership. For this reason, Eritrea has demanded heavy remittances from its expatriate community and the country would likely be unable to function without regular injections of hard currency. Moreover, Eritrea has likely attempted to destabilize Ethiopia over the years to prevent it from flexing its muscles abroad, potentially against Eritrea. However, keeping Eritrea's military apace with that of the economically booming Ethiopia has proved exceedingly difficult in recent years.  

SITUATION REPORTS

Ethiopia: TPLF Claims Eritrean Forces Still Present in Tigray

Ethiopia: Eritrea Allegedly Still Killing Civilians in Tigray

Ethiopia: Satellite Images Show Eritrean Buildup

Ethiopia: Eritrea Mobilizes Military Reserves for Tigrayan War

Ethiopia: Eritrea Reportedly Carries Out Joint Offensive With Ethiopian Military

Ethiopia: Eritrea Allegedly Launched Offensive on Trigray Forces

Eritrea, U.S.: Sanctions Announced Over Asmara’s Role in Ethiopian War

Ethiopia: National Airline Reportedly Transported Weapons to Eritrea

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