On November 4, 2020, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched a genocidal war against Tigray under the cover of a “law-enforcement operation.” Since then, Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF), Eritrean forces, and Amhara militias have committed grave human rights violations and war crimes against the people of Tigray.
One reason Amhara forces joined the war was in hopes of claiming Tigrayan lands. Amhara officials’ attempt to annex Tigray’s most fertile land is intended to weaken Tigray’s economic and political independence.
For instance, Western Tigray and Kafta Humera woreda are the sources for one of Tigray’s largest exports, sesame. Before the war, Tigray produced a third of Ethiopia’s sesame exports, worth almost $350 million a year.
By allowing the Amhara region to take part in the genocidal war on Tigray, Abiy has gained the support of Amhara nationalists who aim to unite Ethiopia under Amhara rule.