For over a year, civil conflict has ravaged Tigray, claiming thousands of lives, and displacing millions more in the Horn of Africa. The struggle is between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian Government. Where much has been highlighted about the implications of the conflict, both domestically and abroad, less attention has been paid to how the situation affects women. Readers everywhere are left with a one-dimensional image of the trials, harships and victories endured and won by women throughout the HOA region during this difficult time. To help celebrate international Women’s Day, this piece aims to take a more nuanced dive into the part played by women during Tigray’s ongoing civil war.
In November 2020, Ethiopian leader Abiy Ahmed deployed the Ethiopian National Defeence Force (ENDF) into the northern region of Tigray, in response to an alleged attack carried out by the TPLF on a government military base. The outcome has been a 15-month long struggle between the ENDF and its allies, namely Eritrea against the TPLF. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions. Chiefly among Ethiopia’s Internally Displaced People (IDP) are women and young girls, who have also been victim to mass sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) along with other human rights violations. These acts have been committed by both the ENDF-Eritrean forces as well as the TPLF. One such incident was an attack on Abala by allied forces last year. Abala is a community of predominantly Tigrayan people. According to over 260 eyewitnesses interviewed by Al-Jazeera, the ensuing battle caused Tigrayan forces to retreat from the area. Asay Teka, a survivor from the IDP centre of Lemiem, recounts the incident and its aftermath; “they shot my husband and 11 other Tigrayan neighbours they found around,” she continued. “Among them were four boys at the age of 5 killed alongside their parents.” In the following days, Asay hid indoors, alongside her husband’s remains, praying the soldiers do not find her. On the 24th of December, she fled.
Asay’s story has become painfully common. Vanessa Tsehaye, an Amnesty International campaigner disclosed that “most of the survivors we interviewed were gang raped. Many were held in sexual slavery, where they were held for days and weeks…the range of victims include young children.” As horrific as these revelations are, Vanessa commends the courage of those women who speak out. “The bravery comes from desperation, it comes from knowing that the world needs to know this…it’s enough to know how much we know. If you read the (Amnesty International) report, it’s page after page of terrible testimonies, that’s enough for us. And that should be enough for the African Union to act….for the United Nations to act. And that’s thanks to them.
This gratitude is striking. It demonstrates where women have not only endured displacement, SEA and trauma but have, through their perseverance, made the Amnesty report and other like it possible. Through these means, the Ethiopian government and TPLF can be pressured into reaching a peaceful settlement. Many of the UN recommendations issued to Abiy’s government were shaped by these testimonies and experiences. Women like Asay, and campaigners like Vanessa demonstrate the proactive role that women are playing in modern, nonviolent conflict resolution in Africa. Their strength and heroism are worth celebrating, not just Women’s Day, but every day, on the long walk to peace in the Horn of Africa.