On Nov. 6, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced on state television that the Ethiopian Air Force had carried out airstrikes in Mekelle the capital of the northern region Tigray in the wake of a conflict that rapidly escalated from tensions that had been simmering between the federal government and Tigray since 2018. PM Abiy’s push for a centralized government and sweeping reforms marginalized the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which constituted a disproportionate share of Ethiopia’s military and government coalition.

In September, the TPLF held a local election in defiance of the postponement of elections ordered by PM Abiy’s government and each side now sees the other as illegal.

On Nov. 4, communications were cut in the region as PM Abiy announced that troops had been ordered into Tigray in a response to an alleged attack on a military base there.

The Gazelle reached out to Anatoli Lemma, Class of 2022 and resident of the capital city Addis Ababa, who said that he has not been able to establish contact with two of his friends in Tigray since contacting them approximately two weeks ago.

“I did not expect for the fight to escalate this much... I always knew there was some… disagreement ... but the things that happened throughout the past two weeks for me were extremely unexpected because… I did not expect Abiy Ahmed to retaliate like this because he’s always been a guy open to negotiation,” Lemma shared.

Severance of communications from Tigray presents a challenge to fully verify the extent of the damage, but reports of mass killings and growing numbers of refugees have been emerging since last week’s escalation.

In a report published on Nov. 12, Amnesty International confirmed that, through digital verification of photographs by its Crisis Evidence Lab, hundreds of civilians were “stabbed or hacked to death” in Mai-Kadra town in the South West Zone of Tigray on the night of Nov. 9. While Amnesty International maintained that there is no confirmation yet of who is responsible for the killings, they have spoken to witnesses who claim that forces loyal to the TPLF were responsible.

A civilian said to Amnesty International: “There was a military operation by the EDF and Amhara Special Force against the Tigray Special Police and militia at a place called Lugdi during the daytime on 9 November. After they defeated the Tigray forces, the EDF spent the night on the outskirts of Mai-Kadra town. When we entered, we saw a lot of dead bodies, soaked in blood, on the streets and rental dormitories frequented by seasonal workers. The view was really debasing, and I am still in shock struggling to cope with the experience.”

An official death toll has not been quoted, but the media agency of the ethnic Amhara regional government reported around 500 victims. Most victims are believed to belong to the Amhara community.

In a statement released on Nov. 13, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called for a full enquiry, while maintaining that details of the Amnesty International report have not been fully verified.

“If confirmed as having been deliberately carried out by a party to the current fighting, these killings of civilians would of course amount to war crimes, and there must be an independent investigation and full accountability for what has happened,” she said.

A United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees press release said on Nov. 11 that more than 7,000 refugees from Ethiopia fled across border to Sudan in 48 hours. Expecting more refugees to arrive, the UNHCR Regional Bureau Director urged neighboring countries to keep their borders open. The organization also expressed deep concern for the status of 96,000 Eritreans in refugee camps in Ethiopia and 100,000 people in Tigray who have been internally displaced.

Reports suggest that as many as 200,000 people could flee into Sudan. Those who arrived have suffered a long distance on foot in rugged terrains, with some arriving wounded from fighting.

On Nov. 13, the federal government reported that a rocket was fired by the TPLF “in the late hours of November 13, 2020 towards Bahir Dar and Gondar cities” in the Amhara region. The TPLF took responsibility for the attack, stating that it will use “the force of its weapons to wipe out enemies” of its people.

“A protracted internal conflict will inflict devastating damage on both Tigray and Ethiopia as a whole, undoing years of vital development progress. It could, in addition, all too easily spill across borders, potentially destabilizing the whole sub-region,” Bachelet said.