Digital Activism During the Genocidal War in Tigray

Historically, war is associated with idealized masculinist rhetoric of virtue and glory among men. In contrast to this rhetoric, many Ethiopian women, particularly Tigrayan women have been key fighters in many past and present battlefields. 

In the last century, Tigrayan women have gone to the battlefield to defend their sovereignty against external invaders on several occasions. They stood against Italian invaders in defense of the Ethioipian Empire in The Battle of Adwa in 1896. Tigrayan women also fought against the military dictatorial regime of the Derg (1975- 1991).  As members of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), they played a significant role in liberating the people of Tigray and Ethiopia as a whole from a brutal and oppressive regime.
A lot has changed since the women of Tigray fought against Italians or as guerilla fighters against the Derg in the mountains of Tigray. For those not on the ground in Tigray, technology and globalization have allowed them to stand up for justice from afar.  Over 20 years after the last battle against a centralist Ethiopian government, women of Tigray located around the world find themselves yet again in another battle but this time a digital one.

A Declaration of War

Abiy Ahmed, the unelected Prime Minister of Ethiopia, waged a genocidal war against Tigray on November 4, 2020, in collaboration with Eritrea’s dictator Isaias Afwerki in an attempt to take over the region from Tigray’s elected leaders.

After declaring war on Tigray, Abiy was quick to cut off all forms of communication in Tigray so that he could cover-up the atrocities being committed to civilians. The communication blackout left Tigrayans who live abroad extremely anxious as they were  unable to reach their families in Tigray. They kept trying every means of communication they could. Their mothers’ landlines didn’t work,  their brothers’ cellphones were off, and their cousins’ WhatsApp or Facebook also failed. 

After a few days of being in collective fear and shock, the Tigrayan diaspora started calling to check on one another. With a calm, yet discouraged voice, they would ask if anyone had heard anything from their family back home.

Losing “Ethiopian” Friends and Finding New Ones in the Digital World

Blocked from reaching their families in Tigray, Tigrayans with social media accounts  started posting about their distress. They hoped that the Ethiopian community and the online world would hear their devastation and offer support. 

To their surprise, extremely few fellow Ethiopians reached out to see how they were doing. Many Tigrayans came to the  shocking realization that their Ethiopian friends could not sympathize with Tigrayans’ agony. 

Basically overnight, Tigrayans’ identity changed. Before the war, Tigrayans saw themselves as Ethiopians. After the war, however, they were forced to question their identity as their fellow Ethiopians, friends, and in some instances family, cheered on the war in Tigray. 

In trying to make sense of the situation, Tigrayans soon discovered that there had been a great amount of propaganda prior to the war that fueled hate towards Tigrayans.  It was a painful realization for most Tigrayans. The hate was so ingrained and widespread that their close Ethiopian friends could not sympathize with Tigrayans’ suffering. In essence, Tigrayans felt abandoned by a community that they thought they belonged to.

Few weeks into war, Tigrayans learned that both rape and starvation were being used as a weapon of war in Tigray.  

Desperation hit an all time high, but it was that same desperation that forced Tigrayans to seek one another out in the digital world. They started pulling away from certain crowds who never cared to recognize their pain and started creating new relationships with a focus on one and only one thing – amplifying the voices of Tigrayan people who are suffering in the dark as a result of this genocidal war. 

It was not long until many Tigrayans began to organize and work long hours to raise awareness about the genocide in Tigray. Most of the organizations that were established are women led.

Tigrayan Digital Activism 

The digital warriors of Tigray, who emerged out of necessity and an existential threat to their people,  have the same lifestyle as your average neighbor. They have to make ends meet as usual, raise their children, and participate in their typical social activities. 

But unlike your average neighbor, they must face the added burden of stopping a genocidal war waged on their families by the federal government of Ethiopia.

Despite the trauma they endure daily, they have an obligation to amplify the suffering of their families, and they must create real transformative change. They wake up with a heavy heart,wondering whether their sisters, mothers or cousins were victims of sexual violence. They wake up wondering if their family members are alive.  They rely on social media to raise their voices. They sign petitions, raise funds, educate the public through different means in an effort to raise awareness and gain allies, and organize and attend global protests. 

If COVID-19 rules don’t permit large scale demonstrations, they organize virtual or caravan protests, and small groups show up in front of the United Nations Headquarter and the White House every single day. They march the streets of Telaviv, London, and Denver, all in hopes of exposing the heinous atrocities being committed in Tigray. 

To their advantage, the internet has removed barriers of geography, allowing them to collaborate on projects and work together.

“Habogninet” Amid Crisis in Tigray

This digital community’s secret ingredient is habogninet (ha-bo-gne-net). 

Habogninet (ሓቦኝነት) is an emotion felt by every Tigrayan when under attack. It is that unexplainable responsibility to uplift the vulnerable. 

Habogninet is about being there for those who are suffering in their community. 

Habogninet is standing strong amid the crisis. 

Habogninet is being your sister’s and brother’s keeper.

Habogninet is how Tigrayans show-up for their most vulnerable.

For example when Tigaryans learned that their Irob and Kunama indiginous ethnic minorities who only makeup 1% of Tigray’s population were under full Eritrean occupation, suffering in the dark, with communication and aid blackouts, they immediately put on their digital activism hat. This self-organized community of Tigrayans, immediately planned a campaign for April 10, 2021 and drafted petitions calling on the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to protect both minorities. On the day of the Irob and Kunama campaign they tweeted like their life depended on it. They demanded protection for the ethinic minorities in Tigray who are facing starvation and genocide under Eritrean troops. They screamed on Twitter for the world to hear that the Kunama and Irob people are suffering immensely and both may be on the brink of extinction. 

On average there were 700,000 impressions per hour that day amplifying the oppressed voices of the Irobs and Kunama indginous minorities of Tigray. Those tweeting were predominantly global Tigrayans making the plight of those two minorities trend on twitter all day. Tigrayan Habogninet manifests itself in many ways and this is just one of them. 

“How a society treats its most vulnerable is always the measure of its humanity.”– Gandhi  

How Tigrayans continue to show up for their voiceless indigenous minorities of Tigray is how they continue to show up for every oppressed member of their society.

Digital Warriors Under Attack

This fight to stop the Tigray Genocide comes with a cost, especially for the  women who are at the forfront of the digital activism. Violence manifests not only on the battlefields, but also in the digital world. 

The platform where Tigrayan women face online bullying, dehumanization and trauma the most is Clubhouse.  An unexpected number of Ethiopian and Eritrean propagandists are extremely aggressive, abusive, and misogynistic towards Tigrayan women. Every single day, those women who are there to raise awareness and educate the pubic on Tigray Genocide continue to  face  aggressive men who are determined to silence them. 

There are rooms hosted by Abiy supporters titled “The war on Tigray must continue.”  Tigrayan women and men go to such triggering rooms to speak their truth about the genocide happening in Tigray. Many of those men have gone as far as justifying rape on Tigrayan women during the war. 

A Community of Tigrayan Digital Warriors

Regardless of the intimidation they may face from Abiy supporters, these Tigrayan women have continued to push the social barriers with other like minded community members. 

In response to this tragic genocidal war, many Tigrayans have forged an environment that fosters a sense of belonging, a supportive network, and a sense of transformative purpose. 

Along with other social media platforms, despite aforementioned attacks, Clubhouse has been an invaluable and cathartic space for Tigrayans to share their burdens and engage in therapeutic and galvanizing conversations.  There are a number of highly committed digital activists who create and manage those rooms and conversations.

Through social media platforms, Tigrayans have found a new community who understand their pain, and are extremly committed to raising awareness about the genocide in Tigray. 

Weyni – Omna Tigray Contributor, May 2021