Why Ethiopia is in a civil war

The country’s leader won the Nobel Peace Prize. Then he went to war.
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In 2019, after ending Ethiopia’s decades-long war with its neighbor, Eritrea, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It seemed like a new beginning for Ethiopia. After decades of dictatorships and oppressive regimes, he appeared to finally be putting the country on a new path.
But less than a year later, Abiy had already launched a military attack - on Tigray, a regional state in his own country. When Abiy became prime minister in 2018, he had largely supplanted Tigray’s main political party, the TPLF, as the country’s center of power. Since then, tensions between Abiy and the TPLF had escalated quickly. The political rivalry led to a dispute over an election, which led to an alleged attack on a military base - and finally to Abiy’s deployment of the military.
Abiy promised to bring peace to Ethiopia; now he’s presiding over a war that exploded from dispute to devastation in a matter of weeks, and has no obvious end in sight. Much of Tigray’s territory has been captured by local armies and militias. Thousands have died or fled their homes. And many Ethiopians are left wondering how Abiy, a leader who promised a break with the past, brought them here instead.
Note: The headline on this video has been updated.
Previous headline: Why Ethiopia is invading itself
Sources and further reading:
Jen Kirby, Vox: www.vox.com/22...
International Crisis Group: www.crisisgrou...
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute: www.acaps.org/...
Physical Geography Research Group: www.researchga...
Human Rights Watch: www.hrw.org/ne...
UNHCR: data2.unhcr.or...
Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out www.vox.com.
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[@Vox]

“Dying by blood or by hunger.” Read more about Tigray's humanitarian and political crisis on on Vox: bit.ly/3g5fNuA

[@bogeeman431]

Okeh

[@waterguy1783]

E

[@robelb42]

Why would we trust you after watching this video ? I'm regretting trusting you for long. I very much aware about the crisis in Ethiopia, and if you lie/incompetently report it , then why do we trust you anymore ?

[@abubeker1704]

Okay

[@арефнар]

Because of you Vox. They literally have done everything you have ever preached to establish in the US.

[@alessandrodonato2867]

"Ethiopia is invading itself"...you know that you can call it a "civil war", right?

[@abelgezahegn255]

Eritrea is invading too which means it's not.

[@alessandrodonato2867]

@@abelgezahegn255 that’s...that’s how a civil war works

[@agame2545]

no it because tigrians are talking over the pramative land and people(aka ethiopia)

[@Elieditssportvids]

it's not a civil war really it's basically Mexico which is Eritrea telling texas to join them America which is Ethiopia says no and fight for texas which is tigray

[@TheAvsouto]

Country has "Democratic" in the name... It's a dictatorship

[@ispeaktoaster6671]

As an Ethiopian, it saddens me to see our situation being oversimplified and missunderstood like this

[@henrycolestage4249]

But at least it is being discussed. That's far better than silence, yes?

[@martinc.720]

@@henrycolestage4249 Not if you're only helping in spreading the misunderstanding about this nation.

[@yushclayystaguan]

@@henrycolestage4249 Nah, this is too disingenuous, and I'm not even Ethiopian. Vox is portraying the TPLF as a victim now and blaming an Oromo president (a racial group treated as inferior) for not including them because the TPLF didn't want to be part of the reconciliation process as a beneficiary of racial oppression in the country, and they don't want to take responsibility for the oppression that the Oromo and Somali Ethiopians faced. The Tigray region is one of the most developed regions in Ethiopia because the TPLF was the main designer of the system that they governed for so long. While I am disappointed at the atrocities committed by Ethiopia and Eritrea's militaries, this puts too much blame on responsibility with Abiy and not enough nuance on the TPLF. EDIT: Ethiopia and Eritrea not nation-states.

[@yushclayystaguan]

@Justin Y. Yeah, Ethiopia was kind of the fourth power other than Italy, UK, and France to scramble Somalia; and arguably the last power left to decolonize Somalia.

[@mrpatman1163]

@@yushclayystaguan I agree with you but I don’t think Ethiopia is a nation state

[@annoneemoose]

Tigray: Starts war. Vox: Why did a man who wanted peace resort to war?

[@Suuubi01]

This is literally how western media works. Terrorist throws rock and hides hand, victim hits back, terrorist becomes victims and cries injustice, then American teens make infographics about it on Instagram. How tf does that work????

[@Suuubi01]

@@Paonporteur nope, definitely talking about Tigray

[@schneejacques3502]

@@Suuubi01 You mean likr Palestine

[@mistergibzzz1948]

@@Suuubi01 just like the "Palestinians"

[@yonasasmelash9795]

Because of you guys want attack Tigray with outsiders isayas afwekie neighboring country of Eritrea to attack us so we fought you

[@mapper7310]

2:00 They just fail to mention that Italy invaded Ethiopia through Eritrea and thats why they were allowed to control Eritrea after the war? That's a pretty significant event that is just unmentioned..

[@joelGi]

Invasions literally always happen to us. Sudan is invading now tomorrow maybe Egypt but Ethiopia will survive. Thats just 1 invasion out of thousands of continuous invasions

[@pomiiiful1]

The goal of this video is not to inform, it is to disinform by people who have a political agenda.

[@gedionmelese1081]

How is your mom doing? Ask your grandma first!

[@tuumboon61]

That’s not true Eritrea was supposed to be an autonomous state but Haile Selassie defaulted on the UN ruling and annexed Eritrea.

[@DW-wq2vn]

@@tuumboon61 Hilesilase Took Eritria By Forse It Was Never An Anixmunt It Was Invesion And Land Grab Anixation Is When To Countrys Agrey Formaly By Paper Given The Right Risun To Anix And Be One Nathion Picfully Not TouGh War Or Buling But Hilesilassy When He Cold Have Done It Picfuly Hi DId It By War You See Eritria Was Not The Problem It Was Our Oun Ethiopian Liders Then Spent A Lot Of Mung Bulding A Port called Assuob Them It got Burnd Tough War It Was A Bad Thing Hilesilase Did If Eritria Wanted To Anix It Cold Have Hapeend Picfuly With Free Will And Voting Beetwin Anixmunt or indipendens The PEople Of Eritria Cold Have Voted Picfully But Hilesse The Guy Did Not Listen To Enyone He spent Millions On Millitury Paceag And Weppons the Takes That Ethiopians Pay then Mead It A DoMinativ deployment TO That Of Warfear It Was A Sulfish Fulish Act It SholdEnt Have Been This Way If Ethiopia Did ThingS By Voting And Picfully All Cold Have Been Well With OuT War

[@LashanR]

Vox's explanations are normally pretty informative, but even as someone having no knowledge on the topic it's so easy to see that there's gaping holes in the story here.

[@darkless60]

Care to plug the gaps in our knowledge?

[@TSZatoichi]

Guys, the OP literally just wrote that they have no knowledge about what's going on there.

[@bemsil9071]

I'm Ethiopian, and I'll say that Vox is not doing a good job explaining this at all. What Abiy Ahmed is doing is awesome because, if it were not for him, the TPLF would have destroyed much of the country and killed so so so many more people. The TPLF leaders are low key terrorists, and you can see that for yourself when they were in power for the last 30 years. Vox is oversimplifying and misrepresenting the civil war. This is unfair and wrong.

[@mango9602]

Probably this Vox producer isn’t good at things like this.

[@LashanR]

@@TSZatoichi For real 😂 When an explanation only leaves more questions than it answers it's clear there's something seriously wrong with the story

[@barakmoss1691]

VOX: Abiy invited everyone to join the prosperity party, but the TPLF refused. VOX: Aboy’s government didn’t include all of Ethiopia. 🤣🤣🤣

[@BM-df9bp]

Well, Abiy didn't invite them to the same party where he was selected from, which contained TPLF and others. They remained in the party for close to 2 years after Abiy's selection, until Abiy dissolved the party that was built on the values they fought for, and created a new party that would allow him to centralize and consolidate his power.

[@abigailr2573]

Really funny😂😂...they refused...that's why they are out of it! I think this media knows nothing about how rude TPLF was

[@bobted6266]

It didn't considering he is killing part of Ethiopia population

[@ima8533]

@@bobted6266 terrorist rebels?

[@bobted6266]

@@ima8533 do you know the meaning of terrorist? Just couse you don't like a party doesn't mean it's a terrorist organization

[@loafoftoast8916]

Hold on a minute. A corrupt political party turned out to be corrupt, left their original country in protest for being called corrupt. And the guy trying to bring them back into Ethiopia is the bad guy here? Heeh?

[@Cece_Si]

Lol thank you!

[@jdd5886]

Exactly

[@ianism3]

it's a lot more complicated than that, but the video didn't explain it well. also, "bringing them back into Ethiopia " is a very nice way of saying "killing thousands, creating a massive humanitarian/refugee crisis, and inviting a foreign power to invade your own territory in order to destroy a common enemy."

[@loafoftoast8916]

@@ianism3 they did not explain that at all. Thats what I interpreted. From what they said it’s a modern day 1865 civil war. One country secedes the other tries to bring them back. I’m sure there’s more detail but that’s what they gave us so idk

[@zacktrever1878]

@@loafoftoast8916 basically two government entities duking it out. Hope the civilians do not become collateral in the conflict.

[@stephenh2827]

I like a lot of Vox's content but I found this video to be too oversimplified. I do not know a lot about Ethiopian politics but feel that this video does not give a well-rounded perspective on a clearly very complex conflict.

[@JK-jt8so]

It absolutely is bro.

[@GTM9164]

That’s because they glanced over the most recent and relevant information

[@gustafgoransson1236]

it do be vox tho...

[@leulteferi1973]

​@@sarah2172 TPLF official Sekoule Getachew admitted that they attacked the base first.

[@bian7744]

Vox is not good don't expect much

[@wondimenehdesalegn3090]

Malcolm X said "The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent.” Media has the power to influence minds, ideas, behaviors, and attitudes of the masses.

[@vicmanthome6605]

As a reporter myself, I’m scared ill mess up and do something I cannot change

[@BM-df9bp]

Actually, this video made TPLF guilty when they're not for people who deeply know what has been taking place. I don't know why people here are viewing it the opposite way.

[@مالكالقطيف]

I really like Malcolm X... He had a sharp mind and he searched for justice between races 👍👍👍 ( i wish god have mercy on him)

[@sw1360]

Exactly! Pure evilness.

[@RyuRovesRice]

No country leader on earth would just let an armed uprising go unchecked in their country, I don't understand why this video is trying to paint the president in such a negative light for it when any other country would do the same. Just because the president won a nobel peace prize it doesn't mean that he's not allowed to respond defensively to armed threats.

[@MichelNabil]

He is a war criminal

[@soyosuki]

@@MichelNabil Lol, smooth brain logic at it's finest.

[@soyosuki]

Exactly this.

[@Cece_Si]

He has a lot of patience people where actually mad bc of it and then when he started to take actions some weren’t happy ... its compicated

[@aidanwotherspoon905]

I bet there weren’t Tigray representatives in their government assemblies filibustering any attempt to respond to a violent uprising like some countries I could think of 🤔

[@syimirsafrizal3983]

Why did i feel like TPLF is still the root of problem

[@jossydere3930]

because they are

[@dagemamare8670]

They definitely are

[@yonasfekade1474]

Exactly.Some of the information they put is totally wrong.I am from Ethiopia and foreign intervention has led the situation worse(specially the USA try to intervene and they made the situation worse.)

[@ima8533]

Cuz they are

[@ED-vm5oy]

They are the mother of all problems in this country.but not our tigrian brothers. Tank u for understanding

[@nesrinebk2743]

What was he supposed to do? Hold hands with them and sing kumbaya?!

[@gecttakhla4249]

He could try actual diplomacy

[@gecttakhla4249]

@Hernando Malinche this video is my only source, and it seems they converted to a political party, so sorry if I don't have all the information

[@joelGi]

@@gecttakhla4249 he sent Haile Gebresilassie among other respected elders and celebrities they were sent back like dogs humiliated with insults

[@joelGi]

@@gecttakhla4249 they stormed and massacared a military base the day the currency was changed and the federal government came with the new money to exchange the old. Since they couldn't exchange their billions(illegal) they chose to attack. He was surprised.

[@thisisntsergio1352]

This line sounds familiar, do you listen to Krystal Ball or Kyle Kulinski?

[@misgunhaile7357]

Imagine ruling the country with an iron fist which the TPLF did for nearly 30 years, being removed by popular protests, retreating to your regional state and deciding not to take orders from the Federal Government, finally taking over a military base after massacring several soldiers in their sleep, then play victim at the end.

[@ayalqie4587]

Well said .but they are now deceiving international community with lie after lie

[@442277100]

There was no evidence for that. Vox got the wrong sources for this video.

[@adeyabebe9771]

@@442277100 there was no evidence for what? The ENDF Massacre? Cuz TPLF officials were literally bragging about it on TV

[@442277100]

@@adeyabebe9771 There is no evidence of TPLF making the first move by taking over a military base of the ENDF.

[@ishmlaldevontrious7914]

@@442277100 HOW! In their sleep they locked up military equipment an overthrew the security an killed the soldiers. If you do anything that threatens the military then immediately that is and atrocity and they will be under attack the TPLF should be killed and not the people tho.

[@djevangelista1999]

What were you expecting the Ethiopian Government to do? Just lie down and let rebels defy central government by conducting an election cancelled due to a legitimate reason and occupy a federal military base? The militias were not open for any form of negotiation so don't say that, the moment they occupied a military base it was already past that.

[@RBNN69]

Jesus a guy who gets it thank u

[@charlesford7887]

We can expect them not to commit war crimes, for starters.

[@GTM9164]

That’s cause there is ALOT more too it. What the dude was talking about at the end with a lot other divisions and problems in the country is far more of the story. This basically could have happened with other region/ethnic groups but it happened with trigray first. There have been major anti gov protest that have turned violent in Amhara Oromo and others too.

[@djevangelista1999]

@@charlesford7887 You mean the war crimes the militias are committing too? That said, those are irrelevant to the topic as the issue is the way the video is trying to portray the actions of the Federal Government, making them seem like they're unnecessarily creating conflict from nothing just to satisfy some perceived hypocrisy.

[@ED-vm5oy]

By the way Tplf has killed 6000 soldiers at that night only while they are in the military base

[@Master-il1sk]

john: *gets surgery* vox: "why did john pay someone to stab him"

[@benreg5953]

Hilarious :D

[@TheSpiralProgression]

That joke only works in America 😂

[@Master-il1sk]

@@TheSpiralProgression ohh you're right XD

[@sebrimudecir5190]

🤣🤣

[@mamaducissemaci929]

underrated

[@parvizmz]

Sounds like the problem is TPLF, not the prime minister.

[@terefeofficial7514]

💯

[@eliasteku9872]

Thanks for understanding it 🙏

[@Andu_music]

Yup

[@BM-df9bp]

The video is oversimplified and wrong at times. Tigray didn't "attack" first. Pro-Abiy forces had already surrounded Tigray and were about to strike, so TPLF had no other choice but to strike first. Here is a longer description : I'll try to provide as many of my sources as I can access now, but you can also fact-check the rest from other sources. I couldn't provide links because they are not allowed on KZbin. Yes, TPLF had captured bases of the Northern Command of the federal army. However, there are many facts that suggest they acted only preemptively : 1. I see a lot of people in the comments argue Sekuture Getachew admitted Tigray forces have attacked first. What they don't mention is, in the same interview, he explained the attack was a preemptive move because pro-Abiy(ENDF, EDF, Amhara militias,..) forces have already surrounded Tigray from all sides, and they had the intel those forces would attack imminently. -> here is the title of the full video on youtube: "እይታ፣የመጀመሪያው ምዕራፍ በድል መጠናቀቅ እንድምታ፣ ህዳር 04/2013 ዓ/ም" (Amharic language) 2. Let's look at key events that happened days before the attack was carried out on Nov 3-4. -> Source: most of this is from "Addis Standard" : "region police chief reveals how region’s police force guided federal steel-clad mechanized forces to join". Read the article attached to the tweet if you want to verify. - On November 01, more than 50 civilians were killed in West Wollega zone, Guliso Werda, Gawwa Qanqa kebele of Oromia regional state in what eyewitnesses said was shortly after the evacuation of members of the federal armed forces from the area. But the news of the killing has surfaced only a day later, on November 02. There was no official explanation on why the defense forces were evacuated from the area, where there is an ongoing armed conflict with members of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). - Other reports on November 01/2020 also indicate the mobilization of “16 buses” of ENDF members from a military camp in the city of Shilaabo in the Somali regional state. - On November 02, Tigray Region President Debretsion Gebremichael aired a 36 minutes televised message in which he said that the regional government has “prepared our military of Special Force not in need of a war, but if the worst comes, to defend ourselves.” And cautioned that the Tigray region “should give attention to the situation that is advancing to a war and everyone should be ready.” -> More on this: "The Tigray region's president, Debrestion Gebremichael, told reporters on Monday that the government was going to attack - alleging it was punishment for organizing its own election for the Tigray parliament in September, in direct defiance of the federal government and electoral board's decision to postpone all elections following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic." [BBC : "Tigray crisis: Ethiopia orders military response after army base seized"] - These events were followed by a release of a statement on November 02/2020, by EU High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell on growing tension in Ethiopia in which he said: “developments in Ethiopia are a cause of deep concern. All parties as well as Ethiopia’s neighbors must act to reduce tension, eliminate inflammatory language and abstain from provocative military deployments. Failure to do so risks destabilizing the country as well as the wider region.” - After the war has started and Mekele was taken by pro-Abiy forces, the Amhara region police chief, in what appears to be a celebratory speech, revealed how the region's police force guided federal steel-clad mechanized forces to join the conflict. "The war started that night after we have already completed our preparations". 3. On *Nov 3*, a well-known pro-Abiy activist, Natnael Mekonnen, with 267k followers on Facebook alone, prematurely celebrated the seizure of a hotel, where he claimed TPLF leaders were usually found, after 2000 special commandos entered the city of Mekele. He later deleted the post. Those commandos were apprehended at the airport because TPLF had the intel and was prepared for it. -> Unfortunately, I couldn't provide the links for the screenshots here because it's hasn't been allowed yet. -> *"Several sources in Addis Ababa said the federal government deployed commandos in military aircraft to Mekelle with the goal of securing military assets and, possibly, removing the TPLF leadership." [Foreign Policy : Is Ethiopia Headed for Civil War?] This airport incident doesn't sound strange if one remembers an almost identical incident that happened at the same Airport in 2018 after some friction started to emerge between Abiy and Tigray's government(TPLF). An Antonov containing dozens of Abiy's forces landed in Mekelle unannounced. They were apprehended by Tigray's security forces and released after investigations of the incident. Later it was said the Antonov landed there "Mistakenly".* There are 2 more important things to note here: - Nov 3 was the date where the US elections were held and everyone knows much of the world's attention would be on the election. - All communications in all parts of Tigray were cut starting from Nov 3. The government has been claiming they were cut by TPLF. However, 7 months into the conflict and 6 months after Abiy's government controlled most parts of Tigray, communications in almost all parts of Tigray remain cut. -> [Mail & Guardian: Blackout makes it hard to report on Ethiopia’s civil war] -> [Al Jazeera: Four media workers arrested in conflict-wracked Tigray]

[@nathnaeltsegaye8505]

no bro i konw how u got that info but we tigreans are small in number and tigray is on full network blackout and so we dont have the man power to explane every one what the real cause and what realy happening .

[@beefcupcakes5959]

(whispers) "They never got Ethiopia" Ethiopia: "I'll just do it myself then"

[@nanananaxhhd4330]

actually it is not true, whoever made the video forget to add the fact that italy conquered it in 1936 and lost it during WW2

[@Grey11s]

@@nanananaxhhd4330 It was mainly occupied if anything, but yeah they showed no mercy on the Ethiopians.

[@swiggyhunter4682]

@@nanananaxhhd4330 true. Conquered, never colonized.

[@aelafdev]

@@nanananaxhhd4330 u r wrong... germany occupied poland for 6 years and france for 4 years, and it's not colonization, and italy did to ethiopia for 5 years, BUT they did that by accepting Eritrea as Italy colony

[@yoboiboy4182]

Lol

[@Valorfilmproduction]

he doesn't invites them only once.. he even send elder people and famous respected people for peace .. they just refused and attacked a military base killing many solders in cruel way

[@umittaskin]

What was he supposed to do? Resign and leave the country to military leaders (TPLF) or root out this toxic military division and take the control back. Of course he did the second option.

[@Rightonrightoff]

This video is made by a 20 something lazy intern who literally knows nothing about the situation. TPLF paid lobbyists in the west to effectively control the narrative. So far it seems like it’s working because this is the dumbest video on the topic by far. Wow.

[@casperhiscock4871]

It is a very one sided presentation of the issue. They frame the TPLF as the victim and the Ethiopian government as oppressors when the TPLF are the clear aggressors.

[@Rightonrightoff]

@@casperhiscock4871 That’s because TPLF for three decades built a network in the west and that disinformation network is now paying dividends. It’s unfortunate such outlets like Vox can be this gullible. It goes to show Vox pays attention to whoever screams the loudest. Not to basic and simple historical facts.

[@snare5903]

Maybe hecould have not called for a foreign brutal dictatorship to invade his country.

[@realthunder6556]

@@snare5903 He wants Eritrea long term as an ally, as you cannot solely rely on Djibouti for most of your international shipping, meanwhile having to deal with Somali pirates and a hostile Eritrea + internal divisions. Also if Eritrea is not in a constant state of war with Ethiopia, their military and dictatorship will start to become more relaxed, because they can.

[@alemseged]

Why are you just interviewing one individual? This feels a very watered-down representation of events and especially the history of ETHIOPIA. Come on Vox, you can do better.

[@ayomhm8510]

@Fikrte cumo same

[@alemseged]

The fact that Vox is building its reputation on the ignorance of its audience, which this piece showcases very well, that answers the question “Why Vox is Destructing Itself.”

[@dagmawiberhane5398]

let me guess not Tigray

[@Lwilight]

@@dagmawiberhane5398 What?

[@brucewayneology]

@@dagmawiberhane5398 ?

[@mikebenson6129]

1:47 it was ruled by the Amhara people ?? Just because the royal family came from the Amhara region , that doesn’t mean the average Amhara was seen as a first class citizen . If you were not part of the royal family , you are a nobody . Amhara or not . It’s like saying just because the royal family is from London , every person living in London was a first class citizen. If you are not part of the royal family then you were a nobody . I don’t think it’s fair to paint the entire Amhara people as the rulers when only a few hundred were .

[@michaeltesfay4644]

Royal family Ethiopian oromo people

[@naramoro]

8 minutes feels waaay too short to sumarize the history of an entire country + the current civil war

[@abrahamkibret1053]

And as an ethiopian i can tell you they did worse than you would expect.

[@sarah2172]

it is 1 - Abiy had NO proof when he claimed TPLF attacked a base, many believe he had his own soldiers do it in order to justify a swift blackout / shutdown of the region 2- he blacked out communication and access to food / aide for MONTHS in the region, he also blocked off the border so civilians could NOT escape any conflict, hence them fleeing to Sudan 3- he's been arresting multiple poltiical opponents throughout the country, his fights aren't limited to the northern region in the slightest 4- he denied having Eritrean soldiers involved in Tigray despite numerous reports from international groups saying otherwise, only RECENTLY did he admit they were there dressed as Ethiopian soldiers 5- there's been RAMPANT r*ping, killing, and looting by soldiers of CIVILIANS (regardless of your viewpoints of the political parties this is disgusting), many refugee camps have been having victims come in droves and have been reporting this, including gang r*pes then murder 6- Abiy STILL has a large portion of the region blacked out so communication is scarce, he BLOCKED REPORTERS from entering the region to tell the world what was going on for months 7- MULTIPLE PARTIES are refusing to partake in the election (he delayed twice now) because they believe it's a farce, he "created enemies" to seem like he's the only savior and they see it, international observers won't even recognize the election as democratic. He's made it so that he's seen as the only option after villainizing and jailing most of his opponents

[@uberfu]

According to VOX -- it's NOT a civil war -- Ethiopia is just invading itself. Nothing to see.

[@lapiswolf2780]

Vox never claimed to be summarizing the entire history of the country. If that were the case,they would've went farther back than the 1800s.

[@leulteferi1973]

@@sarah2172 your first point is a major lie, TPLF official Sekoture Admitted on TV that TPLF launched a "preemptive attack" on the northern base

[@TJMaxximalist]

Really disappointed to see Vox oversimplifying the struggle going on in Ethiopia like this. In the past these Atlas videos have felt very informative and nuanced, but this one feels lazy and mischaracterizes the conflict to millions of potential viewers. This was just totally lopsided.

[@jamesmurphy2828]

If you know nothing about Ethiopia its passable

[@lucioagelvis2134]

Could you explain us then what exactly is going on???

[@TJMaxximalist]

@@lucioagelvis2134 lol

[@miiikemiiike2118]

Will am Ethiopian , what’s happening is the tplf are a dictator stealing money from the country they make there on empire and planed to rule Ethiopia forever by killing and in prisoning other parties but pr abey ahmed go through them and destroy the party he is a hero for the poor , all the ppl say he is bad are the ppl how get money from the tplf who want the power and rule Ethiopia for there on good

[@TheBostricano]

Sir. You complain, yet you bring nothing new to the table. Care to elaborate?

[@englishbaby8677]

Every country has a right to keep itself from breaking apart

[@bereketyohannes7868]

Even your wife have that right it’s up to her

[@BM-df9bp]

They didn't say they want to break apart before the war.

[@ndorobei4391]

Tigray just want to held regional election. Why can't solve this peacefully ?

[@grudeasnaots210]

@@ndorobei4391 hmmm.............................................................. It's like the government doesn't like voting... Hmmmmm ....

[@dioritbajrami8283]

Just like Serbia who did that while murdering Albanians in Kosovo right?

[@dagmawisahlu5643]

This is too oversimplified. Abiy is extremely popular in Ethiopia for his genuine efforts at bridging ethnic divides (which the TPLF is mostly responsible for) and for disposing a regime that had been in power over 27 years. The TPLF has many allies in the western world due to the connections it made in those 27 years including the current director of the World Health Organization who was foreign minister during the TPLF regime. So the rest of the world isn’t fully comprehending the issue in the country and as an Ethiopian, I only ask everyone who reads this comment to please understand the nuances of what is happening. God bless you all. And if you’ve read all this, thank you - you’re awesome !!! ✅

[@loud6037]

Vox loves creating ethnic divides, so I'm not surprised that they're putting their own spin on it. Look at all their videos on race, division is what they do best.

[@universalpro8756]

I don't know much about Ethiopia and the situation there, but looking at this channel track record. I can guarantee you are the telling the truth, this channel has record of being baised, furthering their agenda in the name of simplification, they used baised data amd facts, and lies or proganda to promote a certain type of narrative.

[@rahrah8085]

2 years later how is the effort to bridging ethnic divide by Abiy?

[@SarahH0g4n]

Is Abiy still popular 😅

[@wavenp]

And you wanted him to say "yea sure, take our military base, have fun."?

[@kidus_f1]

Western media for you

[@somethingelse9228]

The local elections which were postponed should never have been postponed, that's the root behind this war. And, if a civil war did broke out, the government could at least have crafted a proper plan to ensure that the least number of lives are lost during the war and should have resettled those who were displaced.

[@kidus_f1]

@@somethingelse9228 It was postponed by the National Election Board, and it's not the root cause at all. 80% of the countries millitray equipment was located in Tigray. TPLF wanted to take control of this equipment and do whatever they wanted

[@sarah2172]

this video missed the mark 1 - Abiy had NO proof when he claimed TPLF attacked a base, many believe he had his own soldiers do it in order to justify a swift blackout / shutdown of the region 2- he blacked out communication and access to food / aide for MONTHS in the region, he also blocked off the border so civilians could NOT escape any conflict, hence them fleeing to Sudan 3- he's been arresting multiple poltiical opponents throughout the country, his fights aren't limited to the northern region in the slightest 4- he denied having Eritrean soldiers involved in Tigray despite numerous reports from international groups saying otherwise, only RECENTLY did he admit they were there dressed as Ethiopian soldiers 5- there's been RAMPANT r*ping, killing, and looting by soldiers of CIVILIANS (regardless of your viewpoints of the political parties this is disgusting), many refugee camps have been having victims come in droves and have been reporting this, including gang r*pes then murder 6- Abiy STILL has a large portion of the region blacked out so communication is scarce, he BLOCKED REPORTERS from entering the region to tell the world what was going on for months 7- MULTIPLE PARTIES are refusing to partake in the election (he delayed twice now) because they believe it's a farce, he "created enemies" to seem like he's the only savior and they see it, international observers won't even recognize the election as democratic. He's made it so that he's seen as the only option after villainizing and jailing most of his opponents

[@wavenp]

@@somethingelse9228 That's a really good point. I think the government were caught by surprise with this war. And they had the choice between devising a plan to maximize public safety or attack now before the enemy gains a better hold on the territory and chose the later option. Postponing the elections was a really risky move. The main advantage of democracy is the peaceful transfer of power and you really can't skip an election in a country with a long history of dictature. Were his health concerns genuine or was he really afraid of losing the election? How bad is the COVID situation in Ethiopia and could they risk running an election without the mail voting we have in the west?

[@lantherpagdi]

The title itself punctures the credibility of this video. Too opinionated, oversimplified and prejudiced, just like the rest of the western mainstream media.

[@chucklebutt4470]

Vox is especially bad for reductionist summaries of complicated subjects.

[@antenehworku4818]

To be fair When TPLF was in power, despite being only 6% of the population, the TPLF had the prime Minister, the president, 95% of the military Generals, and almost all of the ministers.

[@journeyOf777]

The president wasnt even tigrean what are you talking about...the generals were mostly tigrean because they had experience from the 17 year war with derg...it showed with the peace the country had...the soldiers come from everywhere.

[@mag9711]

@@journeyOf777 the president is just a public figure, the one who lead the country is the prime minister

[@mag9711]

You are right they are not only 6% of the population they are also just one ethnic group out of 80 ethnic groups.

[@tesfayet11]

@@journeyOf777 I'had worked with them most of them didn't even have a 12th grade education, what kind of guerrilla war experience turn you into a general?

[@mrizak9962]

@@tesfayet11 and why are you not general then if being general requires high school certificate Mr. educated. Tigray generals are who freed you from derg without high school so you can go to high school and university

[@christonngoveni8438]

Tigray leaders should accept they lost power and respect the new government

[@4zap7]

Ah yes now it’s just a role swap and the Tigray will be the oppressed second class citizens of the region .

[@dawitmulugeta5053]

Thank you. All Ethiopians except TPLF fanatics support the Prime Minister

[@dipdayve]

It's not just about power. It's about the future of the people. Don't comment on something you have no knowledge about.

[@nothaten9933]

Yes definitely able to do that when their region is getting raided from two different governments.

[@lif3andthings763]

@@4zap7 that wasn’t happening until tplf declared war.

[@Abdagreat251]

I'm Ethiopian & I would say there is 95% hole & 85% inaccuracy in this entire recollection of history. 9/10 Vox videos are well put together & informative but NOT this one. The inaccuracy & incompetence is not something to ignore. This is a very complex topic.

[@onthecouchwithdonatodavis9569]

Abiy Ahmed is right. If anything TPLF was the one over stepping and creating chaos. The video even mentioned all that. Abiy is doing what he can to keep his country together.

[@youisstupid2586]

I agree. You can’t put peoples lives in danger to hold an election. Abiy is the rational guy in this situation.

[@ReclusiveEagle]

*Invites TPLF to join prosperity party* *Vox* : "The problem is his vision for peace didn't include everyone"

[@noobayaba4890]

That's what u get when tplf lobbiests r controlling almost every western media lol

[@soyosuki]

Everything from the history portion to their coverage of recent events was just nonsense. Let's hope people that liked the video are reading the comments to understand the drivel that they watched.

[@nar-aryanalakanta1464]

Nice🙏

[@ajax1472]

Actually the majority of oromo refused abiy vision as well TPLF etc

[@rileyfreeman8191]

@@noobayaba4890 Not every media you disagree with is controlled.

[@allsek7433]

Titanic: it sunk Vox: Why the titanic drank tons of water

[@shalinitiwariscorner5210]

Euphemism is their expertise.

[@SolAya21]

This video has some inaccuracies. 1. The Ethiopian empire was not solely ran by amharas, there were Oromo and Tigray emperors. At that time class superceded ethnicity and if you looked at the numbers class was not concentrated in amhara. 2. The conflict didn't start last year it started since 1991. When TPlLF came into power and adopted a constitution that sperated the country into regional ethnic groups. Then began to brutally suppress every other group until all that was left were "allies" 3. TPLF claimed the bombing that started this war. After refusing the national shut down because of covid (India literally saw a massive covid spike in part due to elections).

[@TsegazeabBekele]

Vox im sorry to say you got this one kinda off the track. Knowing this situation well. You did a lazy job trying to paint Abiy as evil. So many missing information in this whole picture. The Truth will prevail.

[@scintillam_dei]

Hello. I'm a Spaniard from Honduras in Cambodia, and I plan to learn Amharic. I met a half-Japanese, half-Somali guy here, and he turned hostile when I questioned his Islam even though he said he was willing to hear my argument proving his religion wrong, which I did to help. No one wants the truth in this world of liars, with extremely few exceptions.

[@TerryMutuma]

@@scintillam_dei What were you proving wrong about his religion?

[@arontesfay2520]

O you wanted them to paint Abiy as a saint? Sorry to break this to you but your benevolent leader is a monster

[@TsegazeabBekele]

@@arontesfay2520 your just full of envy. Face reality and stop your senseless hate. There is only one truth.

[@bimasetyaputra8381]

@@TsegazeabBekelelol, your comment just scream "cult of personality" to me

[@benreg5953]

I like this one :D :D VOX: Abiy invited everyone to join the prosperity party, but the TPLF refused. VOX: Aboy’s government didn’t include all of Ethiopia. | |

[@abelmesfin4839]

U didn't mention the part that TPLF started the war killing a lot of people.

[@soyosuki]

Of course not, the "history portion" was just pathetically incorrect. I nearly pulled my hair out watching this video, it's like they did their best to misinform.

[@rolandoarco863]

Things don’t happen in a vacuum. Mengistu fell when the Soviet Union collapsed

[@asheru9254]

Good observation.

[@qweas0]

Good point. Also, the TPLF and other rebel groups were supported by the US and a host of Arab countries during the Cold War. After the Cold War, the US continued supporting the TPLF until the TPLF were ousted in the 2018 revolution which is partly due to US President Trump's indifference to America's Africa policy from previous administrations. The thesis is that most of the belligerents mentioned in the video were mainly empowered by powerful foreign countries and when that support stopped, the belligerent fell as well.

[@SultanMenzuma]

qweas0 exactly

[@SultanMenzuma]

Susan Rice was rumored to be the head of the TPLFs (Meles Zenawi) mistress for a long time. That’s how close ties are with the TPLF and the US.

[@SultanMenzuma]

manny correct

[@adityayadavx447]

"Ethiopia is at war with itself" It's called a "Civil War" my Lady

[@willinton06]

She literally said that like 10 seconds after

[@lighttsukiyagami8052]

Doesnt it remind you of India Pakistan border skirmishes regarding Kashmir?

[@nikstoms08]

It seems to me TPLF is the problem not government

[@sarah2172]

Things this video missed: 1 - Abiy had NO proof when he claimed TPLF attacked a base, many believe he had his own soldiers do it in order to justify a swift blackout / shutdown of the region 2- he blacked out communication and access to food / aide for MONTHS in the region, he also blocked off the border so civilians could NOT escape any conflict, hence them fleeing to Sudan 3- he's been arresting multiple political opponents throughout the country, his fights aren't limited to the northern region in the slightest 4- he denied having Eritrean soldiers involved in Tigray for months despite numerous reports from international groups saying otherwise, only RECENTLY did he admit they were there dressed as Ethiopian soldiers 5- there's been RAMPANT r*ping, killing, and looting by soldiers of CIVILIANS (regardless of your viewpoints of the political parties this is disgusting), many refugee camps have been having victims come in droves and have been reporting this, including gang r*pes then murder 6- Abiy STILL has a large portion of the region blacked out so communication is scarce, he BLOCKED REPORTERS from entering the region to tell the world what was going on for months 7- MULTIPLE PARTIES are refusing to partake in the election (he delayed twice now) because they believe it's a farce, he "created enemies" to seem like he's the only savior and they see it, international observers won't even recognize the election as democratic. He's made it so that he's seen as the only option after villainizing and jailing most of his opponents

[@beinghuman2060]

@@sarah2172 thank you for the truth

[@elshadiesolomon9050]

@@beinghuman2060 it is false!!!! the TPLF officials themselves came out and told on tv that they led a preemptive strike on the military base!

[@A.D.540]

@@elshadiesolomon9050 dont lie their no evidence of tplf saying it themselves show me video lol their non. i been following ethiopia news and not once did tplf say they attacked military base.

[@exposedigitalw649]

TPLF launched surprise attack on the Ethiopian military from the inside with Tigray generals & Soldiers of the Ethiopian military and outside with Tigray special forces, they killed them during sleep at night and they went ahead & killed non Tigray people who used to work in Tigray and when they military defend itself & start attacking most of fled to Sudan

[@Jillian1--0]

"Ethiopia Invades itself" European countries: 👀

[@checcmac8693]

Imagine a snow start speaking finnish

[@anonymoususer7506]

itself* would be better I guess!!

[@Jillian1--0]

@@anonymoususer7506 hahaha thx for the correction

[@Racko.]

UK and the US: *let me in* *LET ME IN*

[@stevie6765]

@@Racko. Syria 2.0 💀💀

[@fabio1fabz]

"escaped european colonialism.." or resisted and fought back ... we need better narration. This is conveying the wrong idea. Imagine outsmarting your opponent for someone to say you "escaped it" as if it was luck ...

[@claireindigo1200]

Exactly

[@messijb45]

They should out their neighbbouring countries, making allies with the colonizers. They also stole land from other countries.

[@orwellianyoutube8978]

Ethiopia did escape colonialism though. And much has to do with the highlands of Ethiopia which were hard to capture. It was geographical luck more than resistance.

[@maxlofthd6655]

I'm very disappointed, this video lacks a lot of necessary information that for some reason most international media providers are hindering. As an Ethiopian myself, I don't agree with most of the stuff said especially the conclusion. This video lacks vital information regarding how Dr. Abiy came to power, why he engaged military forces, and the human rights violations committed in the region of Tigray. I have been subscribed to Vox for a long time, and it is one of my favorite channels, but after seeing the amount of misinformation in this video, I am very skeptical about the information in previous videos I have seen being true and having actual facts.

[@mrpatman1163]

As an American this seems like a case of an American at Vox talking about something that they don’t know enough about. Their right on most of their American stuff but like other news outlets from here they tend focus way more on American issues while still talking about international issues

[@nigusugirma2041]

you right bro.

[@SornGeorge]

Vox, just like any other US media are very ignorant about anything happening outside of their bubble. This video gives the impression that they read 3 articles on yahoo news and then decided to produce a video about a very complex situation. Imagine if a “foreigner” took this approach to explain the US political situation without providing any depth to the situation. That’s how this felt.

[@ammanuelabraham3487]

Completely agree. Vox do better!

[@የዝምታአቀንቃኝ]

100 % agree, I am too very skeptical previous videos

[@AssyrianFire]

I’m really confused on how you can listen to this whole story and not support the Central government.

[@ianhomerpura8937]

Well, that is how federalism should work

[@236_muhammadfadlirakananda2]

anarchists being anarchists only for the sake of being against the status quo

[@BM-df9bp]

You wouldn't if you get the whole story. This video is oversimplified and wrong at times. Tigray didn't "attack" first. Pro-Abiy forces had already surrounded Tigray and were about to strike, so TPLF had no other choice but to strike first. Here is a longer description : I'll try to provide as many of my sources as I can access now, but you can also fact-check the rest from other sources. I couldn't provide links because they are not allowed on KZbin. Yes, TPLF had captured bases of the Northern Command of the federal army. However, there are many facts that suggest they acted only preemptively : 1. I see a lot of people in the comments argue Sekuture Getachew admitted Tigray forces have attacked first. What they don't mention is, in the same interview, he explained the attack was a preemptive move because pro-Abiy(ENDF, EDF, Amhara militias,..) forces have already surrounded Tigray from all sides, and they had the intel those forces would attack imminently. -> here is the title of the full video on youtube: "እይታ፣የመጀመሪያው ምዕራፍ በድል መጠናቀቅ እንድምታ፣ ህዳር 04/2013 ዓ/ም" (Amharic language) 2. Let's look at key events that happened days before the attack was carried out on Nov 3-4. -> Source: most of this is from "Addis Standard" : "region police chief reveals how region’s police force guided federal steel-clad mechanized forces to join". Read the article attached to the tweet if you want to verify. - On November 01, more than 50 civilians were killed in West Wollega zone, Guliso Werda, Gawwa Qanqa kebele of Oromia regional state in what eyewitnesses said was shortly after the evacuation of members of the federal armed forces from the area. But the news of the killing has surfaced only a day later, on November 02. There was no official explanation on why the defense forces were evacuated from the area, where there is an ongoing armed conflict with members of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). - Other reports on November 01/2020 also indicate the mobilization of “16 buses” of ENDF members from a military camp in the city of Shilaabo in the Somali regional state. - On November 02, Tigray Region President Debretsion Gebremichael aired a 36 minutes televised message in which he said that the regional government has “prepared our military of Special Force not in need of a war, but if the worst comes, to defend ourselves.” And cautioned that the Tigray region “should give attention to the situation that is advancing to a war and everyone should be ready.” -> More on this: "The Tigray region's president, Debrestion Gebremichael, told reporters on Monday that the government was going to attack - alleging it was punishment for organizing its own election for the Tigray parliament in September, in direct defiance of the federal government and electoral board's decision to postpone all elections following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic." [BBC : "Tigray crisis: Ethiopia orders military response after army base seized"] - These events were followed by a release of a statement on November 02/2020, by EU High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell on growing tension in Ethiopia in which he said: “developments in Ethiopia are a cause of deep concern. All parties as well as Ethiopia’s neighbors must act to reduce tension, eliminate inflammatory language and abstain from provocative military deployments. Failure to do so risks destabilizing the country as well as the wider region.” - After the war has started and Mekele was taken by pro-Abiy forces, the Amhara region police chief, in what appears to be a celebratory speech, revealed how the region's police force guided federal steel-clad mechanized forces to join the conflict. "The war started that night after we have already completed our preparations". 3. On *Nov 3*, a well-known pro-Abiy activist, Natnael Mekonnen, with 267k followers on Facebook alone, prematurely celebrated the seizure of a hotel, where he claimed TPLF leaders were usually found, after 2000 special commandos entered the city of Mekele. He later deleted the post. Those commandos were apprehended at the airport because TPLF had the intel and was prepared for it. -> Unfortunately, I couldn't provide the links for the screenshots here because it's hasn't been allowed yet. -> *"Several sources in Addis Ababa said the federal government deployed commandos in military aircraft to Mekelle with the goal of securing military assets and, possibly, removing the TPLF leadership." [Foreign Policy : Is Ethiopia Headed for Civil War?] This airport incident doesn't sound strange if one remembers an almost identical incident that happened at the same Airport in 2018 after some friction started to emerge between Abiy and Tigray's government(TPLF). An Antonov containing dozens of Abiy's forces landed in Mekelle unannounced. They were apprehended by Tigray's security forces and released after investigations of the incident. Later it was said the Antonov landed there "Mistakenly".* There are 2 more important things to note here: - Nov 3 was the date where the US elections were held and everyone knows much of the world's attention would be on the election. - All communications in all parts of Tigray were cut starting from Nov 3. The government has been claiming they were cut by TPLF. However, 7 months into the conflict and 6 months after Abiy's government controlled most parts of Tigray, communications in almost all parts of Tigray remain cut. -> [Mail & Guardian: Blackout makes it hard to report on Ethiopia’s civil war] -> [Al Jazeera: Four media workers arrested in conflict-wracked Tigray]

[@ThamizhanDaa1]

India 🇮🇳 needs to help Ethiopia.. Ethiopia, we are ready to help y'all if you need it! We love y'all, you are good friends❤️

[@Zeyede_Seyum]

Thank you 🇪🇹❤🇮🇳

[@Bogfrog1]

Is this some new trend to see Nobel Peace Prize winning leaders lead Civil Wars and conflicts later in life??? I thought it was just Myanmar (edit: i was talking about the genocide a few yrs prior, not the recent coup, but everyone bringing it up has a good point)

[@SVNLVN]

Aung San Suu Kyi is opposing those who are taking the democracy away from those in Myanmar. She's not the one causing the conflict.

[@Bogfrog1]

@@SVNLVN I wasn’t referring to that but good point (I was referring the the genocide a few yrs prior but u still have a point)

[@PabloBatistaArq]

Don't even get me started on Obama smh that guy killed so much civilians

[@Maho011275]

The nobel peace prize has always been a joke

[@wherethehoesat3358]

@@PabloBatistaArq yea lol he still good meme

[@super__star6823]

When American went to Afghanistan and stay there for 20 years because they felt threatened by Afghanistan it is called heroism but when Ethiopia protect themselves from inside threat , it is wrong ?

[@abegazleo2185]

American or U.S. troops genocide in the world; More than 2 million innocent people in Vietnam 1954-75, More than 140,000 civilians in the former Yugoslavia, More than 47,600 civilians in Afghanistan since 2001, More than 200,000 civilians in Iraq since 2003, More than 25,000 civilians in Libya: More than 200,000 civilians in Yemen, More than 380,000 civilians in Syria. What did Joe Biden say about the recent bombing of more than 254 Palestinians, including 66 children? "Israel has the right to do this." So, who is the global terrorist and genocidal?

[@KDH-br6hy]

@@abegazleo2185 ??

[@KDH-br6hy]

Whatttt?

[@BM-df9bp]

Tigray didn't "attack" first. Pro-Abiy forces had already surrounded Tigray and were about to strike, so TPLF had no other choice but to strike first. Here is a longer description : I'll try to provide as many of my sources as I can access now, but you can also fact-check the rest from other sources. I couldn't provide links because they are not allowed on KZbin. Yes, TPLF had captured bases of the Northern Command of the federal army. However, there are many facts that suggest they acted only *preemptively* : 1. I see a lot of people in the comments argue Sekuture Getachew admitted Tigray forces have attacked first. What they don't mention is, in the same interview, he explained the attack was a preemptive move because pro-Abiy(ENDF, EDF, Amhara militias,..) forces have already surrounded Tigray from all sides, and they had the intel those forces would attack imminently. -> here is the title of the full video on youtube: "እይታ፣የመጀመሪያው ምዕራፍ በድል መጠናቀቅ እንድምታ፣ ህዳር 04/2013 ዓ/ም" (Amharic language) 2. Let's look at key events that happened days before the attack was carried out on Nov 3-4. -> Source: most of this is from "Addis Standard" : "region police chief reveals how region’s police force guided federal steel-clad mechanized forces to join". Read the article attached to the tweet if you want to verify. - On November 01, more than 50 civilians were killed in West Wollega zone, Guliso Werda, Gawwa Qanqa kebele of Oromia regional state in what eyewitnesses said was shortly after the evacuation of members of the federal armed forces from the area. But the news of the killing has surfaced only a day later, on November 02. There was no official explanation on why the defense forces were evacuated from the area, where there is an ongoing armed conflict with members of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). - Other reports on November 01/2020 also indicate the mobilization of “16 buses” of ENDF members from a military camp in the city of Shilaabo in the Somali regional state. - On November 02, Tigray Region President Debretsion Gebremichael aired a 36 minutes televised message in which he said that the regional government has “prepared our military of Special Force not in need of a war, but if the worst comes, to defend ourselves.” And cautioned that the Tigray region “should give attention to the situation that is advancing to a war and everyone should be ready.” -> More on this: "The Tigray region's president, Debrestion Gebremichael, told reporters on Monday that the government was going to attack - alleging it was punishment for organizing its own election for the Tigray parliament in September, in direct defiance of the federal government and electoral board's decision to postpone all elections following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic." [BBC : "Tigray crisis: Ethiopia orders military response after army base seized"] - These events were followed by a release of a statement on November 02/2020, by EU High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell on growing tension in Ethiopia in which he said: “developments in Ethiopia are a cause of deep concern. All parties as well as Ethiopia’s neighbors must act to reduce tension, eliminate inflammatory language and abstain from provocative military deployments. Failure to do so risks destabilizing the country as well as the wider region.” - After the war has started and Mekele was taken by pro-Abiy forces, the Amhara region police chief, in what appears to be a celebratory speech, revealed how the region's police force guided federal steel-clad mechanized forces to join the conflict. "The war started that night after we have already completed our preparations". 3. On *Nov 3*, a well-known pro-Abiy activist, Natnael Mekonnen, with 267k followers on Facebook alone, prematurely celebrated the seizure of a hotel, where he claimed TPLF leaders were usually found, after 2000 special commandos entered the city of Mekele. He later deleted the post. Those commandos were apprehended at the airport because TPLF had the intel and was prepared for it. -> Unfortunately, I couldn't provide the links for the screenshots here because it's hasn't been allowed yet. -> *"Several sources in Addis Ababa said the federal government deployed commandos in military aircraft to Mekelle with the goal of securing military assets and, possibly, removing the TPLF leadership." [Foreign Policy : Is Ethiopia Headed for Civil War?] This airport incident doesn't sound strange if one remembers an almost identical incident that happened at the same Airport in 2018 after some friction started to emerge between Abiy and Tigray's government(TPLF). An Antonov containing dozens of Abiy's forces landed in Mekelle unannounced. They were apprehended by Tigray's security forces and released after investigations of the incident. Later it was said the Antonov landed there "Mistakenly".* There are 2 more important things to note here: - Nov 3 was the date where the US elections were held and everyone knows much of the world's attention would be on the election. - All communications in all parts of Tigray were cut starting from Nov 3. The government has been claiming they were cut by TPLF. However, 7 months into the conflict and 6 months after Abiy's government controlled most parts of Tigray, communications in almost all parts of Tigray remain cut. -> [Mail & Guardian: Blackout makes it hard to report on Ethiopia’s civil war] -> [Al Jazeera: Four media workers arrested in conflict-wracked Tigray]

[@talebals]

@@KDH-br6hy ???

[@WasntYourFaultYouHaveToLetMeGo]

Normal People: Global Warming is affecting sea levels Vox: Everyone needs to learn how swim or build a boat

[@scintillam_dei]

Free thinkers: Global warming is a lie. I lived in Miami most of my life. The seal level never rose.

[@Daniel-vv2ks]

The history is incorrect. Your attempt at summarizing and condensing led to the removal of the important historical facts.

[@mehdin7520]

Yeah no mention of US, Soviet Union, and Cuba supporting different sides, no mention of war with Somalia too

[@sarah2172]

Exactly. Also things this video missed: 1 - Abiy had NO proof when he claimed TPLF attacked a base, many believe he had his own soldiers do it in order to justify a swift blackout / shutdown of the region 2- he blacked out communication and access to food / aide for MONTHS in the region, he also blocked off the border so civilians could NOT escape any conflict, hence them fleeing to Sudan 3- he's been arresting multiple political opponents throughout the country, his fights aren't limited to the northern region in the slightest 4- he denied having Eritrean soldiers involved in Tigray for months despite numerous reports from international groups saying otherwise, only RECENTLY did he admit they were there dressed as Ethiopian soldiers 5- there's been RAMPANT r*ping, killing, and looting by soldiers of CIVILIANS (regardless of your viewpoints of the political parties this is disgusting), many refugee camps have been having victims come in droves and have been reporting this, including gang r*pes then murder 6- Abiy STILL has a large portion of the region blacked out so communication is scarce, he BLOCKED REPORTERS from entering the region to tell the world what was going on for months 7- MULTIPLE PARTIES are refusing to partake in the election (he delayed twice now) because they believe it's a farce, he "created enemies" to seem like he's the only savior and they see it, international observers won't even recognize the election as democratic. He's made it so that he's seen as the only option after villainizing and jailing most of his opponents

[@Allocated_Brain]

Vox is going to Vox.

[@WrenCubes]

@@Dede-od6br i second this

[@joninator7858]

@@pz4336 People are pretty divided on Abiy these days. Some people think that he did the right thing and that the TPLF are tasting their own medicine, while others hate it because they think that the whole conflict could have been solved diplomatically.

[@diegoparrillo8517]

War is bad but a paramilitary force taking control of a region needs to be subdued by any government, we stand with the Etiopian legitimate government

[@vibes5114]

Things this video missed: 1 - Abiy had NO proof when he claimed TPLF attacked a base, many believe he had his own soldiers do it in order to justify a swift blackout/shutdown of the region 2- he blacked out communication and access to food/aide for MONTHS in the region, he also blocked off the border so civilians could NOT escape any conflict, hence them fleeing to Sudan 3- he's been arrested multiple political opponents throughout the country, his fights aren't limited to the northern region in the slightest 4- he denied having Eritrean soldiers involved in Tigray for months despite numerous reports from international groups saying otherwise, only RECENTLY did he admit they were there dressed as Ethiopian soldiers 5- there's been RAMPANT r*ping, killing, and looting by soldiers of CIVILIANS (regardless of your viewpoints of the political parties this is disgusting), many refugee camps have been having victims come in droves and have been reporting this, including gang r*pes then murder 6- Abiy STILL has a large portion of the region blacked out so communication is scarce, he BLOCKED REPORTERS from entering the region to tell the world what was going on for months 7- MULTIPLE PARTIES are refusing to partake in the election (he delayed twice now) because they believe it's a farce, he "created enemies" to seem like he's the only savior and they see it, international observers won't even recognize the election as democratic. He's made it so that he's seen as the only option after villainizing and jailing most of his opponents

[@bekeledaba787]

@@vibes5114 TPLF terrorists already announced their 'sudden attack' after they slaughtered the sleeping army members using TPLF affiliated fellow soldiers, assuming they already won the war. Unfortunately they paid the price dearly.Every day you terrorist TPLF members are coming up with new fabricated theory.

[@soyosuki]

@@bekeledaba787 These bandits have held the people of Tigray collateral in the effort of returning power to them to resume their brutal dictatorial regime in which Oromos and aAnuaks were showered with bullets and the Amhara were described as the eternal enemy of the people Tigray. Enough is enough, Ethiopia was pushed into a war and now the United States is siding with terrorists and placing sanctions, and pushing for a dialogue with terrorists? I wonder how the American people would react if Osama bin Laden was brought to the Whitehouse for "dialogue". Stay strong, my apologies on behalf of western governments and their media dogs.

[@Tyronius_Maximus]

Only real OGs remember when the video was named “Why Ethiopia is invading itself”

[@bipinlama6394]

I hope for peace in ethiopia - from NEPAL 🇳🇵🇪🇹

[@eldawii]

I hope not 🇪🇬

[@sarthsingh3271]

@@eldawii why though?

[@lebens3585]

@@sarthsingh3271 i think he's egyptian

[@InterestingVideos063]

@@sarthsingh3271 Ethopia is christian majority and egypt is muslims majority , so obviously he wil lwish bad for ethopians .

[@yesukalmulu6132]

thanks 🙏🏾

[@esayasasefa5551]

I’m actually pretty disgusted at how much this is basically a TPLF narrative of Ethiopian history

[@empire0787]

Very false narrative you should be inclusive of other experts i noticed your main narrative comes from the man called awlo(which is from one ethinc group) and you just put it out there without clear understanding of the history.

[@agame2545]

no one asked you

[@soyosuki]

@@agame2545 The same applies to you, yet here you are with a comment. Move along smooth brain.

[@dakedakinson64]

Truth hurts?

[@dimuthgamage1248]

Ethiopia should solve this issue and move forward. Its enough suffering. We sri lankans had 30 years ethnic war and trust me nobody got anything other than sad feeling of loosing love ones. Please solve this at treaty level

[@eyerusalemb3369]

Look at all the news; you think they want us to solve it. Lol western countries are ready to take advantage by exaggerating as usual.

[@nqh4393]

This guy took the phrase "A man's worst enemy is himself" to a whole new level.

[@commonsense2697]

On point

[@sarah2172]

@@meyesaw3624 it is 1 - Abiy had NO proof when he claimed TPLF attacked a base, many believe he had his own soldiers do it in order to justify a swift blackout / shutdown of the region 2- he blacked out communication and access to food / aide for MONTHS in the region, he also blocked off the border so civilians could NOT escape any conflict, hence them fleeing to Sudan 3- he's been arresting multiple poltiical opponents throughout the country, his fights aren't limited to the northern region in the slightest 4- he denied having Eritrean soldiers involved in Tigray despite numerous reports from international groups saying otherwise, only RECENTLY did he admit they were there dressed as Ethiopian soldiers 5- there's been RAMPANT r*ping, killing, and looting by soldiers of CIVILIANS (regardless of your viewpoints of the political parties this is disgusting), many refugee camps have been having victims come in droves and have been reporting this, including gang r*pes then murder 6- Abiy STILL has a large portion of the region blacked out so communication is scarce, he BLOCKED REPORTERS from entering the region to tell the world what was going on for months 7- MULTIPLE PARTIES are refusing to partake in the election (he delayed twice now) because they believe it's a farce, he "created enemies" to seem like he's the only savior and they see it, international observers won't even recognize the election as democratic. He's made it so that he's seen as the only option after villainizing and jailing most of his opponents

[@alexemmadebor3698]

@@meyesaw3624 Stop wasting your time with digital weyane

[@sarah2172]

@@meyesaw3624 All this info is online you're just being lazy hoping that proves you right because a stranger won't do the googling for you, I'm just highlighting things available online in multiple articles for months that this video missed....

[@sarah2172]

@@meyesaw3624 Also, if you're trying to say a bunch of foreign aide groups and international reporters are lying vs... the political party that extended their own power and blocked off said foreign aide parties / reporters from the region, the blackout the govt themselves said they did etc.... what exactly are you arguing? Again, all the info is easily available online, so.... this is a weird game to play when innocent civilian lives are the ones suffering and people want to pretend that's not the case. Encourage you to google what's happening in more depth it seems you're not very aware

[@InterestingVideos063]

He made no mistakes , sometimes there are conditions when their is not choice except war . Vox just want to critisize governments . I see no mistake here , he had no fault in initiation of war .

[@snare5903]

Explain how getting a foreign country to invade and ethnically cleanse is not a mistake?

[@shaddythewiz3836]

@@snare5903 well the tplf did claim independence which is illegal in Ethiopian constitution and attack there bases . also the country that helped was the one when the party ruled the country declared war on. look i don't agree with harming innocent people but let not act like doing is good too. if any country had a part illegally claim independence there obviously going to reclaim that part of the country.

[@snare5903]

@@shaddythewiz3836 Of course Ethiopia should prevent rebellion. The problem is that they asked Eritrea to help them knowing full well that they would commit genocide on a people they had a grudge against.

[@TheZachary86]

@@snare5903 Ethnic cleansing vs casualties? You decide. The TPLF needs to surrender now.

[@TheHajinator]

@@snare5903 the TPLF should’ve been smarter and surrendered

[@MrBlackchocolate]

now i’m seriously questioning every Vox video that has ever been made because this is incredibly inaccurate and horribly one-sided. Shameful

[@yisakjo2881]

Exactly dear i was bleaving everything they post but they are one sided

[@dex-ld8bh]

I do not see what he did wrong aside from restricting federal funds to tigray.

[@kidus_f1]

He didn't. The House of Federations did. He didn't postpone the elections either, National Election Board did. Don't get me wrong he's an awful leader, but this video is filled with misinformation.

[@sarah2172]

Things this video missed: 1 - Abiy had NO proof when he claimed TPLF attacked a base, many believe he had his own soldiers do it in order to justify a swift blackout / shutdown of the region 2- he blacked out communication and access to food / aide for MONTHS in the region, he also blocked off the border so civilians could NOT escape any conflict, hence them fleeing to Sudan 3- he's been arresting multiple political opponents throughout the country, his fights aren't limited to the northern region in the slightest 4- he denied having Eritrean soldiers involved in Tigray for months despite numerous reports from international groups saying otherwise, only RECENTLY did he admit they were there dressed as Ethiopian soldiers 5- there's been RAMPANT r*ping, killing, and looting by soldiers of CIVILIANS (regardless of your viewpoints of the political parties this is disgusting), many refugee camps have been having victims come in droves and have been reporting this, including gang r*pes then murder 6- Abiy STILL has a large portion of the region blacked out so communication is scarce, he BLOCKED REPORTERS from entering the region to tell the world what was going on for months 7- MULTIPLE PARTIES are refusing to partake in the election (he delayed twice now) because they believe it's a farce, he "created enemies" to seem like he's the only savior and they see it, international observers won't even recognize the election as democratic. He's made it so that he's seen as the only option after villainizing and jailing most of his opponents

[@dex-ld8bh]

@@sarah2172 if these are true, then the video should definitely have included them coz at the moment the video feels like its pointing fingers at him without any evidence to back it up. Rather bad video from Vox.

[@misgunhaile7357]

@@dex-ld8bh Imagine ruling the country with an iron fist which the TPLF did for nearly 30 years, be removed by popular protests, retreat to your regional state and deciding not to take orders from the Federal Government, then finally take over a military base after massacring several soldiers in their sleep, then play victim at the end.

[@zengenite7643]

It wasn't even cutting off the money entirely, but redirecting it directly to lower level administration instead of the TPLF regional government.

[@onaspnet]

He deserves another nobel price, getting rid of TPLF is the best thing he did to date

[@simonjames9481]

So he deserves a nobel price for blocking aid going to Tigray and destroying local crops which lead to a massive famine?

[@joninator7858]

@@simonjames9481 That's how a seige works. Welcome to the world of war.

[@joninator7858]

@@thebot177 lol, no one cares.

[@rigbeqi]

@@joninator7858 hahaha nice war lesson🤣🤣

[@joninator7858]

@@rigbeqi Thanks!😉

[@grimeto7323]

"Slaves dream not of freedom, but of becoming masters."

[@rockkerlv]

huh

[@St3v3NWL]

It always baffles me how Vox calls a government form democratic while it obviously is an authocratic regime. Tigray is obviously doing anything to become an autonomous region and therefore the prime minister is in his right to intervene into his own country

[@sarah2172]

things the video missed 1 - Abiy had NO proof when he claimed TPLF attacked a base, many believe he had his own soldiers do it in order to justify a swift blackout / shutdown of the region 2- he blacked out communication and access to food / aide for MONTHS in the region, he also blocked off the border so civilians could NOT escape any conflict, hence them fleeing to Sudan 3- he's been arresting multiple poltiical opponents throughout the country, his fights aren't limited to the northern region in the slightest 4- he denied having Eritrean soldiers involved in Tigray despite numerous reports from international groups saying otherwise, only RECENTLY did he admit they were there dressed as Ethiopian soldiers 5- there's been RAMPANT r*ping, killing, and looting by soldiers of CIVILIANS (regardless of your viewpoints of the political parties this is disgusting), many refugee camps have been having victims come in droves and have been reporting this, including gang r*pes then murder 6- Abiy STILL has a large portion of the region blacked out so communication is scarce, he BLOCKED REPORTERS from entering the region to tell the world what was going on for months 7- MULTIPLE PARTIES are refusing to partake in the election (he delayed twice now) because they believe it's a farce, he "created enemies" to seem like he's the only savior and they see it, international observers won't even recognize the election as democratic. He's made it so that he's seen as the only option after villainizing and jailing most of his opponents

[@cormoran_strike]

@@sarah2172 Had vox included this, their portrayal of the regime could've been justified.

[@adeyabebe9771]

You know what's confusing? It's totally legal to succeed from Ethiopia, its in the constitution that TPLF itself introduced. There was a totally democratic and diplomatic way to leave if that's what they wanted, but instead of petitioning for it TPLF went and killed soldiers in their sleep and started a war.

[@adeyabebe9771]

@@sarah2172 Seriously though, how much is TPLF paying you to spam the comments? Like, do you get medical?

[@tlefybsbahd9526]

It looks like the TPLF are the main problem not the Ethiopian gov? Or did I miss something

[@vibes5114]

Things this video missed: 1 - Abiy had NO proof when he claimed TPLF attacked a base, many believe he had his own soldiers do it in order to justify a swift blackout/shutdown of the region 2- he blacked out communication and access to food/aide for MONTHS in the region, he also blocked off the border so civilians could NOT escape any conflict, hence them fleeing to Sudan 3- he's been arresting multiple political opponents throughout the country, his fights aren't limited to the northern region in the slightest 4- he denied having Eritrean soldiers involved in Tigray for months despite numerous reports from international groups saying otherwise, only RECENTLY did he admit they were there dressed as Ethiopian soldiers 5- there's been RAMPANT r*ping, killing, and looting by soldiers of CIVILIANS (regardless of your viewpoints of the political parties this is disgusting), many refugee camps have been having victims come in droves and have been reporting this, including gang r*pes then murder 6- Abiy STILL has a large portion of the region blacked out so communication is scarce, he BLOCKED REPORTERS from entering the region to tell the world what was going on for months 7- MULTIPLE PARTIES are refusing to partake in the election (he delayed twice now) because they believe it's a farce, he "created enemies" to seem like he's the only savior and they see it, international observers won't even recognize the election as democratic. He's made it so that he's seen as the only option after villainizing and jailing most of his opponents

[@bekeledaba787]

@@vibes5114 TPLF terrorists already announced their 'sudden attack' after they slaughtered the sleeping army members using TPLF affiliated fellow soldiers, assuming they already won the war. Unfortunately they paid the price dearly.Every day you terrorist TPLF members are coming up with new fabricated theory.

[@elshadiesolomon9050]

no you didn't

[@tlefybsbahd9526]

@@vibes5114 ok woah, those are some pretty important factors that were left out of this vid, thanks for clearing that up, so horrible!

[@henoksamuel1106]

No you’re spot on

[@thenoonegamer2678]

As an Ethiopian im saddened how oversimplified you made this

[@itsmepeople1]

You don't know how the people loves abiy. We love our leader, and God will help us

[@haftomteferi669]

Stop the cap

[@eliasteku9872]

Yes much respect for our brave leader 💚💛❤️ Ethiopia will rise up you must accept that 🇪🇹🇪🇹🇪🇹

[@Cece_Si]

@@haftomteferi669 no cap at all

[@pechorin5842]

A country can't INVADE ITSELF since by definition an invasion has to happen between two sovereign states. It is a domestic matter of Ethiopia.

[@mikolucky]

Ethiopia has never been invaded and Vox is trying to put the country in that space by their baseless narratives.

[@DontArgueWithMe971]

This is the type of reporting you get when outsiders report things they don't know

[@kpthomas60]

Even though I know very little about Ethiopia, I am sick and tired of watching these half-baked, simplified and WHITE-washed versions of its turbulent history. This video and narration is a disservice to VOX's own credibility.

[@Patriikc]

Racist

[@soyosuki]

Absolutely. As a Canadian, I have seen the unfair treatment western media sources have given to the Ethiopian action against the TPLF. Even with my cursory understanding of Ethiopian history (ancient and modern), I found myself nearly pulling my hair out at the drivel that was presented. I certainly hope people take this opportunity to learn more about the situation because this video is *lazy, deceptive, and lacks any semblance of historical accuracy*

[@kpthomas60]

@@soyosuki Couldn't agree more. This is not why I subscribed to Vox.

[@brookaraya]

@@soyosuki So you support the war crimes being committed against Tigrayan civilians?

[@joelGi]

Thank you its more complicated than any western media reports

[@TheHajinator]

I think people need to understand that TPLF is at fault here and Ethiopia is in the right here

[@stillhftm273]

does that justify the killings and rapes of thousands?

[@TheHajinator]

@@stillhftm273 Nobody said that, but to paint Abiy as a horrible dictator is heinous

[@stillhftm273]

@@TheHajinator inviting a foreign nation to attack ur citizens is pretty heinous to me.

[@bamlakbekele6494]

@@stillhftm273 Inviting an ally to help defend against an attack isn't very heinous.

[@meonlineify89]

@@stillhftm273 "ur citizen"? The war is not againest our citizens its against TPLF. Tegaru has nothing todo with this. Infact tplf was using them as a human shield.

[@chuasmare22]

Let me get this right.... first, they refused to join the party. second, they invaded the Ethiopian federal soldiers. Third, they divided the country in Ethnic based Federation instead of unity. Fourth, they refused to be part of Ethiopia but they want the budget from the federal government 😂. What is the Ethiopian government supposed to do? All the other tribes were second class citizens 😂 😂.

[@Shifting_memes]

Ethnicities not tribes

[@ΙωακείμΔελημήτρου]

To me it seems that Abi didn't start the war. When rebels don't recognize the legal government and they take control of a military base, the military action is the only way, especially in regions like Africa. War is the worst thing to do but trying to preserve peace in order to modernize your country is something completely different...

[@Nick72601]

"Ethiopia is invading itself" * insert Trust Nobody, Not Even Yourself meme *

[@birukbogale628]

Very distorted story with deliberate intention and hatred for the integrity of Ethiopian state. Shameful!!

[@ShehuStebe]

exactly, I don't understand what Abiy was meant to do. The TPLF started this.

[@1chai]

As an outsider, I think the current Ethiopian leader is doing the right thing.

[@soyosuki]

As an outsider myself, I would call it a necessary thing. You can't just massacre soldiers stationed to protect you, loot their weapons, genocide other ethnic groups, and fire rockets into the capital of another country and another state and expect the central government to do nothing. In fact, the central government tried extending an olive branch to these people, basically excusing their nearly 3 decades-long despotic rule and looting of national wealth and transferring them to foreign banks and they do this? Meanwhile, America is asking the government to negotiate with terrorists and placed sanctions on Ethiopia, the hypocrisy is sickening.

[@soyosuki]

@Zreal Stay strong Ethiopians. You are a patriotic people with a deep love for your country - I respect that immensely. Though Ethiopia faces yet another challenge, I am confident that she and her people will break through any obstacle just like you have done for 1000s of years.

[@nmg7489]

The fact that the so-called expert, Awol Allo, that you interviewed for this video is a known Oromo extremist who’s known for demonizing Amhara and implicitly calling for their ethnic cleansing takes away your credibility. It’s like the entire video was based on his version of history.

[@brineoconnor7491]

Thank you

[@brineoconnor7491]

I mean it

[@kevinforeman5823]

It didn't include everyone? He gave them the option to join forces and they responded with hostility ..

[@raindrizzle14]

Armed militias from Tigray attacked a federal military base and you expected the Prime Minister to sit and do nothing about it?

[@دوشكا-ث2ص]

Actually no, the war started in mekelle basically Ethiopian commandos were sent mekelle to capture tplf members but did not succeed ended up being killed by Tigray forces. When the operation failed central government shutdown electricity and internet in the region and declared war, at the same Tigray forces when and attacked northern command and took their heavy weapons so that at least they could fight back. Even tho I know you just going disagree and just follow what ur puppy abiy says, if this operation was only meant to capture tplf, central government would’ve not asked help from erirea, somalia, amhara, and emirates. An operation was meant to end within 3 days that’s what Abiy said but ended up going for nearly 8 months now so technically Abiy & isaias plan has already failed.

[@BM-df9bp]

Tigray didn't "attack" first. Pro-Abiy forces had already surrounded Tigray and were about to strike, so TPLF had no other choice but to strike first. Here is a longer description : I'll try to provide as many of my sources as I can access now, but you can also fact-check the rest from other sources. I couldn't provide links because they are not allowed on KZbin. Yes, TPLF had captured bases of the Northern Command of the federal army. However, there are many facts that suggest they acted only *preemptively* : 1. I see a lot of people in the comments argue Sekuture Getachew admitted Tigray forces have attacked first. What they don't mention is, in the same interview, he explained the attack was a preemptive move because pro-Abiy(ENDF, EDF, Amhara militias,..) forces have already surrounded Tigray from all sides, and they had the intel those forces would attack imminently. -> here is the title of the full video on youtube: "እይታ፣የመጀመሪያው ምዕራፍ በድል መጠናቀቅ እንድምታ፣ ህዳር 04/2013 ዓ/ም" (Amharic language) 2. Let's look at key events that happened days before the attack was carried out on Nov 3-4. -> Source: most of this is from "Addis Standard" : "region police chief reveals how region’s police force guided federal steel-clad mechanized forces to join". Read the article attached to the tweet if you want to verify. - On November 01, more than 50 civilians were killed in West Wollega zone, Guliso Werda, Gawwa Qanqa kebele of Oromia regional state in what eyewitnesses said was shortly after the evacuation of members of the federal armed forces from the area. But the news of the killing has surfaced only a day later, on November 02. There was no official explanation on why the defense forces were evacuated from the area, where there is an ongoing armed conflict with members of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). - Other reports on November 01/2020 also indicate the mobilization of “16 buses” of ENDF members from a military camp in the city of Shilaabo in the Somali regional state. - On November 02, Tigray Region President Debretsion Gebremichael aired a 36 minutes televised message in which he said that the regional government has “prepared our military of Special Force not in need of a war, but if the worst comes, to defend ourselves.” And cautioned that the Tigray region “should give attention to the situation that is advancing to a war and everyone should be ready.” -> More on this: "The Tigray region's president, Debrestion Gebremichael, told reporters on Monday that the government was going to attack - alleging it was punishment for organizing its own election for the Tigray parliament in September, in direct defiance of the federal government and electoral board's decision to postpone all elections following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic." [BBC : "Tigray crisis: Ethiopia orders military response after army base seized"] - These events were followed by a release of a statement on November 02/2020, by EU High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell on growing tension in Ethiopia in which he said: “developments in Ethiopia are a cause of deep concern. All parties as well as Ethiopia’s neighbors must act to reduce tension, eliminate inflammatory language and abstain from provocative military deployments. Failure to do so risks destabilizing the country as well as the wider region.” - After the war has started and Mekele was taken by pro-Abiy forces, the Amhara region police chief, in what appears to be a celebratory speech, revealed how the region's police force guided federal steel-clad mechanized forces to join the conflict. "The war started that night after we have already completed our preparations". 3. On *Nov 3*, a well-known pro-Abiy activist, Natnael Mekonnen, with 267k followers on Facebook alone, prematurely celebrated the seizure of a hotel, where he claimed TPLF leaders were usually found, after 2000 special commandos entered the city of Mekele. He later deleted the post. Those commandos were apprehended at the airport because TPLF had the intel and was prepared for it. -> Unfortunately, I couldn't provide the links for the screenshots here because it's hasn't been allowed yet. -> *"Several sources in Addis Ababa said the federal government deployed commandos in military aircraft to Mekelle with the goal of securing military assets and, possibly, removing the TPLF leadership." [Foreign Policy : Is Ethiopia Headed for Civil War?] This airport incident doesn't sound strange if one remembers an almost identical incident that happened at the same Airport in 2018 after some friction started to emerge between Abiy and Tigray's government(TPLF). An Antonov containing dozens of Abiy's forces landed in Mekelle unannounced. They were apprehended by Tigray's security forces and released after investigations of the incident. Later it was said the Antonov landed there "Mistakenly".* There are 2 more important things to note here: - Nov 3 was the date where the US elections were held and everyone knows much of the world's attention would be on the election. - All communications in all parts of Tigray were cut starting from Nov 3. The government has been claiming they were cut by TPLF. However, 7 months into the conflict and 6 months after Abiy's government controlled most parts of Tigray, communications in almost all parts of Tigray remain cut. -> [Mail & Guardian: Blackout makes it hard to report on Ethiopia’s civil war] -> [Al Jazeera: Four media workers arrested in conflict-wracked Tigray]

[@samsammy4533]

What a load of nonsense! So many inaccuracy. Tplf didn't just attack the federal force in tigray. They tried to invade the whole country and come back to power by force. Is he supposed to sit by and let them invade the country b/c he won noble peace prize?

[@A.D.540]

That is lie they never try to invade every part of Ethiopia stop making up loe without evidence. Ethiopia government word isnt evidence independent investigation is evidence which abiy rejected.

[@yisakjo2881]

@@A.D.540 hahahahah what you say I think you did not forget what getacher reda say it

[@henrylivingstone2971]

I think that Abiy Ahmed is right, what his government did was absolutely justified in suppressing an armed military state from seceding from the country and forcibly taking a federal military base. There might be more details but from what’s presented he seems in the right and still deserves that Nobel peace prize.

[@UnstoppableEmpire]

What?!? He literally started the war? Tell me what info the vid is missing if you say otherwise,

[@idontevenhaveapla7224]

@@UnstoppableEmpire The video said that they attacked a federal military base after refusing to acknowledge the elected government. What was he supposed to do? It really does seem like those people didn't like losing power & privilege after oppressing everyone for so long. I'm sure war comes with human rights violations & feel for the common people, but where did it say he started the war?

[@jermiahminyahil3946]

@@UnstoppableEmpire tplf held illegal elections, has their own militia, and attacked a military base. do you expect ethiopia to just sit by. if texas held its own elections, formed a military, and attacked the pentagon, do you think the us would not invade and occupy texas?

[@menassies3224]

Let’s start with the fact that u are interviewing awol also who was all in for ethiopia making absurd claims that ethiopia could defeat Egypt in a war until hachalus death at which point he founded a magazine and did a complete 180

[@hippityhop9522]

How can he have peace if there's a region that is constantly unstable. He's doing the thing he should, if they don't want to take peace force them to do it. All of Ethiopia is on his side because he's trying to stabilize the country.

[@KK-re9dk]

Lie

[@xyike3753]

@@KK-re9dk elaborate

[@Pyxlean]

@@KK-re9dk Where's the lie in this comment ?

[@sarah2172]

@@xyike3753 the lie is that the region was stable before he sent troops in Nov, now there's mass famine, reports of widespread murder and looting, hospitals have had the equipment stolen by foreign soldiers (eritreans that have been there since Nov but Abiy only admitted to at the end of March) and 1000s of reports of r*pes and gangr*pes of women and children. Now about 5 million of the 6 million people are at risk because of all of this, plus farmers are being killed and told not to prepare for the rainy season (further starving the area since food aide keeps being stolen too)

[@Elroeithenga]

What do you mean, Abiy wanted peace with everyone, TPLF just declared war, and TPLF is with Tigray, it’s not Abiy’s fault. TPLF is just corrupt and they have become impatient and war-minded.

[@Samatare-l9u]

In order to gain something, you have to lose something Ethiopia was in danger for TPLF and abiy ahmed has no option but to fight to save his Ethiopia and the vision of Democratic Ethiopia.

[@Samatare-l9u]

@Eyakem A democratic Ethiopia with out TPLF not Tigray people

[@tesfatesfaye6262]

@Eyakem The Tigray people are an integral part of Ethiopia, a great majority, I imagine are kind and decent people. On the contrary, the TPLF is a band of murderous thugs that ought to be excised, from the socioeconomic fabric of the country.

[@bekeledaba787]

@Eyakem which means hezbola terrorist is Palestine as Terrorist TPLF is tigrai

[@flickgamehes1e591]

@Eyakem Tigrayans surely weren't democratic during their 30 years of rule. Amhara, Eritrea, and Afar have taken their stolen land back, Tegaru can separate with their deserted mountains.

[@A.D.540]

@@flickgamehes1e591 the disbute is with amhara and eritera not afarn tigray has no problem with afar its amhara that have problem. dont lie to yourselves

[@torpedo1938]

this vid definitely gives a distorted impression to the facts on the ground, from my understanding a paramilitary force taking over a federal army base is a declaration of war in any country...Had Abiy opted to resolve the issue diplomatically, I venture to say we would have seen a military coup in the country as this would give rise to a sense of distrust amongst the national army and a far worse scenario would have taken place

[@kedarmeow]

That's how a Basic Human Being thinks... If the same condition happens in USA, Vox will understand. Or maybe they'll declare those rebels as Freedom fighters. Who knows? 🙇‍♂️

[@torpedo1938]

@@kedarmeow China’s growing presence in perhaps the most important country in the Horn of Africa is disturbing news to the US,,,this can give an insight as to why medias are demonizing Abiy...Vox like any other media claims to be impartial and independent , whereas it is evident they are serving the agendas of some governments at the expense of others (China and its allies)

[@thierrystoudmann4082]

There are no excuse for going on rampage against civilians, no excuse for abusing womans, no excuse for destoying 80 % of the health centers and hospitals, no excuse for shelling churches and killing priests, no excuse for destoying crops and seeds from the farmers. 1.8 millions tigrayans displaced. All this constitute war crimes, Abiy and Isias are both war criminals.

[@mbelete7719]

@@thierrystoudmann4082 there is no excuse for the tplf attacking the national force either, their intention is far cruel than what is happening right now. They didnt care about the countries existance as a whole, only their thriest to stay on power. If their intentions had taken place there will be no country left named "Ethiopia" to talk about in the 1st place. It sickens me what is happening in tigray but it is the result of the action of the tplf ,this scenario would have been in all part of Ethiopia. Atleast it is better it is only in one region ,and this war is still continuing for what?? To bring the tplf back to power who have ruled about 27yrs only profiting some corrupted officials. The lack of true info. In this video sickenss me

[@berekete3029]

@@torpedo1938 Facts 💯

[@mikebenson6129]

3000 years of pilots and history in 8 minutes 😂😂. The VOX team really put effort in to this

[@dahasolomon7314]

The war cannot be blamed entirely on Abey Ahmed. The TPLF where aggrieved that after 30 years in power, they no longer had any power so they wanted to create a ruckus to force the central government make some concessions. There plan backfired miserably but then Abey took it too far when he invited Eretria to fight alongside him and they started a massacre on the innocents civilians of Tigray. One of the many corrections in this video is that the TPLF government was most certainly not a "kind of democracy" but a completely autocratic system.

[@fraolgudeta2877]

as an ethiopian i can tell you that this video is full of lies and misunderstanding of the situation in our country

[@soyosuki]

The "history" portion was laughable at best and malicious at worse and the rest was absolute drivel. This is the definition of putting fuel on the fire, Vox ought to be ashamed of themselves.

[@soyosuki]

@Real Sid206 Even with my cursory understanding of Ethiopian history, I can tell you the history portion was an utter joke and everything afterwards was equally nonsensical. It omitted vast amounts of information and failed to appreciate that Ethiopia isn't a construct created within the last century, but rather an ancient civilization with a storied past - which directly ties in with the events taking place now. Labelling an ethnic group as "oppressors", making it seem as though it was only the Amhara that had control of the empire, making it seem as though Ethiopia's borders was just an effort to avoid colonization, and excluding Eritrea (Bahar Negash) from Ethiopia is just a few examples of the issues found with in the first few minutes of this video. "Support one ethnic group" which one would that be, mate? If you honestly believe this nonsense, it is a reflection of your poor/ myopic understanding of what has transpired over the past year and especially the 1000s of years of context involved when dealing with an ancient nation like Ethiopia.

[@SamAX5444]

@@soyosuki well said. I feel a bit better now.

[@daviroza4700]

Jigjiga is Somali city occupied by Ethiopia 🇪🇹

[@Bi-goddess]

As a Somali I was all my Ethiopian and Eritrean brothers and sisters the best and long life I love you Ethiopia and Eritrea from Somalia 🇸🇴❤️🇪🇷❤️🇪🇹

[@PajeetPuzzlePieces]

@Tawrad not happening

[@anne.andromeda]

I definitely don't have all information about what's going on in the country, but for me it seems like Ethiopia is right. Tigray Party, party that seems corrupted and untrustful, got angry that they aren't in charge anymore, and decide to secede. Also, they have taken over military stations and denounced national government. For me it just looks simlar to American Civil War, with Tigray party acting like the South. Also, what do you expect country to do? Just allow political parties to organise rebellions within its territory, without any military reaction?

[@xmediabox]

indeed. Thank you

[@stc2828]

What is war at itself? Isn't that just a civil war...

[@InstallaFriend]

I'm not sure I agree with this perspective. Even through the little information in the video, I get the impression that in fact the TPLF are basically a paramilitary force that have been in control of Ethiopia became a 'democracy.' Now they are not in power, it would only make sense for a politician that stands for peace, equality and freedom to do what he can to stop their attempts to seize control by performing or inciting violence, displacing and even killing civilians. That doesn't make Abiy Ahmed 'just the same as the rest of them.' In fact, I think that a rather small-minded view of the situation.

[@19MAD95]

Ah yes. Winning the Noble Peace Prize, then turning around and causing mass violence.

[@eldawii]

so?

[@90fif]

AMERICAN DREAM RIGHT??

[@TheZachary86]

How would the US respond if Texas broke away and attacked a federal army base? This whole war was caused by Tigray.

[@PHlophe]

@UCDyeprsI2oJb77aUQAwqh5g ethiopians don't see themselves as black hunnie.

[@RiseAgainstDisciple]

First time award goes to a black person

[@zingoworld8788]

4:11 Meles divided the country in 9 regions; the 10th region of Sidama was given statehood less than 2 years ago

[@darkotrifunovic1104]

Thanks for this extensive explanation! Hope peace will be upon Ethiopia soon.

[@Kiwibirdman1701]

“Seek refuge in Sudan” never through this hear that.

[@anishmathias6298]

I know rit

[@gidd]

Sudan hasn't been at war in years

[@agame2545]

@@gidd lier is war every day

[@M1ndfulJourney]

@@gidd sudan is in civil war as well 😂

[@goitom1508]

TPLF slaughtered our military brothers when they were sleeping and needs to control the power back that is how the game started

[@BM-df9bp]

LONG EXPLANATION >>> Thank you for making this video. I applaud your efforts to present the events that led to the war with a historical background. However, speaking as a non-Tigrayan(Amhara) from Ethiopia, I think this short video is still a bit oversimplified and leaves key details. I want to challenge or add key details to some of the points mentioned. I'll try to provide as many of my sources as I can access now, but you can also fact-check the rest from other sources. I couldn't provide links because they are not allowed on KZbin by default and the video creators hadn't approved them. {1}. I want to start from the most important one. You didn't mention this in the video, and I see a lot of people taking advantage of that. Yes, TPLF had captured bases of the Northern Command of the federal army. However, there are many facts that suggest they acted only *preemptively* : 1. I see a lot of people in the comments argue Sekuture Getachew admitted Tigray forces have attacked first. What they don't mention is, in the same interview, he explained the attack was a preemptive move because pro-Abiy(ENDF, EDF, Amhara militias,..) forces have already surrounded Tigray from all sides, and they had the intel those forces would attack imminently. They had no other choice but to strike first. -> here is the title of the *full* video on youtube: "እይታ፣የመጀመሪያው ምዕራፍ በድል መጠናቀቅ እንድምታ፣ ህዳር 04/2013 ዓ/ም" (Amharic language) 2. Let's look at key events that happened days *before* the attack was carried out on Nov 3-4. -> Source: most of this is from "Addis Standard" : "region police chief reveals how region’s police force guided federal steel-clad mechanized forces to join". Read the article attached to the tweet if you want to verify. - On November 01, more than 50 civilians were killed in West Wollega zone, Guliso Werda, Gawwa Qanqa kebele of Oromia regional state in what eyewitnesses said was shortly after the evacuation of members of the federal armed forces from the area. But the news of the killing has surfaced only a day later, on November 02. There was no official explanation on why the defense forces were evacuated from the area, where there is an ongoing armed conflict with members of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). - Other reports on November 01/2020 also indicate the mobilization of “16 buses” of ENDF members from a military camp in the city of Shilaabo in the Somali regional state. - On November 02, Tigray Region President Debretsion Gebremichael aired a 36 minutes televised message in which he said that the regional government has “prepared our military of Special Force not in need of a war, but if the worst comes, to defend ourselves.” And cautioned that the Tigray region “should give attention to the situation that is advancing to a war and everyone should be ready.” -> More on this: "The Tigray region's president, Debrestion Gebremichael, told reporters on Monday that the government was going to attack - alleging it was punishment for organizing its own election for the Tigray parliament in September, in direct defiance of the federal government and electoral board's decision to postpone all elections following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic." [BBC : "Tigray crisis: Ethiopia orders military response after army base seized"] - These events were followed by a release of a statement on November 02/2020, by EU High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell on growing tension in Ethiopia in which he said: “developments in Ethiopia are a cause of deep concern. All parties as well as Ethiopia’s neighbors must act to reduce tension, eliminate inflammatory language and abstain from provocative military deployments. Failure to do so risks destabilizing the country as well as the wider region.” - After the war has started and Mekele was taken by pro-Abiy forces, the Amhara region police chief, in what appears to be a celebratory speech, revealed how the region's police force guided federal steel-clad mechanized forces to join the conflict. "The war started that night after we have already completed our preparations". 3. On *Nov 3*, a well-known pro-Abiy activist, Natnael Mekonnen, with 267k followers on Facebook alone, prematurely celebrated the seizure of a hotel, where he claimed TPLF leaders were usually found, after 2000 special commandos entered the city of Mekele. He later deleted the post. Those commandos were apprehended at the airport because TPLF had the intel and was prepared for it. -> Unfortunately, I couldn't provide the links for the screenshots here because it's hasn't been allowed yet. (1/2) I'll continue this in the "Reply" section..

[@BM-df9bp]

Continued (2/2).. -> "Several sources in Addis Ababa said the federal government deployed commandos in military aircraft to Mekelle with the goal of securing military assets and, possibly, removing the TPLF leadership." [Foreign Policy : Is Ethiopia Headed for Civil War?] This airport incident doesn't sound strange if one remembers an almost identical incident that happened at the same Airport in 2018 after some friction started to emerge between Abiy and Tigray's government(TPLF). An Antonov containing dozens of Abiy's forces landed in Mekelle unannounced. They were apprehended by Tigray's security forces and released after investigations of the incident. Later it was said the Antonov landed there "Mistakenly". There are 2 more important things to note here: - Nov 3 was the date where the US elections were held and everyone knows much of the world's attention would be on the election. - All communications in all parts of Tigray were cut starting from Nov 3. The government has been claiming they were cut by TPLF. However, 7 months into the conflict and 6 months after Abiy's government controlled most parts of Tigray, communications in almost all parts of Tigray remain cut. -> [Mail & Guardian: Blackout makes it hard to report on Ethiopia’s civil war] -> [Al Jazeera: Four media workers arrested in conflict-wracked Tigray]

[@BM-df9bp]

@@amanbereket6451 yeah, I've posted it in this reply section, and I've been posting it as a reply for other comments in this video.

[@PajeetPuzzlePieces]

You are so right

[@bibhuduttamisra6065]

When you represents 5% population but want control over 90-100% population....This situation will definitely come and continue further....

[@MrBarksdale149]

Wow

[@mehdin7520]

I feel sorry for the civilians who just want to live their lives and are caught in the crossfire

[@Himansshh]

Like the brahmins in India.

[@kedarmeow]

@@Himansshh Stop living in Past. Brahmins aren't controlling force anymore. Hardly seen a Guy who's Brahmin in Govt ofcs. Reservations forced Brahmins to start a professions or to Leave the country.

[@thierrystoudmann4082]

@@mehdin7520 no "cross fire", delibarately targetted in a very well planed operation of ethnic cleaning.

[@zekariahzee5504]

This is Distortion and a lie , to create a bad impression about Ethiopia 🇪🇹 , you may have self interest when you do this , but the truth is not hidden from the whole world.

[@giovannirafael5351]

This video will go into the "doesn't have a good or clear conclusion" list.