Ethiopia is teetering on the brink once again. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s ruling Prosperity Party has claimed an overwhelming victory in the country’s general election, winning 410 of the 436 parliamentary seats. But the ballot box triumph masks a deepening crisis: the government is fighting a bitter war in the northern Tigray region, and international observers have raised serious doubts about the credibility of the vote.
On the streets of Addis Ababa, the mood is tense. The election was boycotted by major opposition parties in Tigray, Oromia, and other regions. Many voters stayed home, citing fear of violence or a sense that their vote would not count. Reports of irregularities and voter suppression have emerged, though the government insists the process was free and fair.
British diplomats are now calling for immediate peace talks, warning that without a ceasefire, the country could slide into a catastrophic civil conflict. The Foreign Office in London has urged all parties to engage in dialogue, warning that a prolonged war would have devastating humanitarian consequences. Hundreds of thousands have already been displaced, and reports of atrocities against civilians are mounting.
At the heart of the crisis is the conflict with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which has refused to accept the election results. The TPLF, which dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades and now controls the breakaway region, has called the vote illegitimate. Its fighters have been battling government forces and allied militias since November 2020, when Abiy ordered a military offensive after accusing the TPLF of attacking an army base.
The war has already killed thousands, cut off vital aid to more than 5 million people in Tigray, and left many facing starvation. International aid agencies say the situation is a man-made famine. The United Nations has accused the government of using starvation as a weapon, a charge Addis Ababa denies.
For ordinary Ethiopians, the election has done little to ease the cost of living crisis. Inflation is running at 20 per cent, with the price of bread and cooking oil soaring. Unemployment is high, especially among young people, who feel locked out of the political process. In the industrial zones around Adama, workers tell me the war is sucking money away from schools and hospitals.
“Our children are hungry,” said Mulu, a factory worker with three kids. “We hear the politicians talking about victory. But where is the victory for us?”
The British government has offered to mediate, but both sides remain entrenched. Abiy sees the TPLF as a threat to national unity and has vowed to crush them. The TPLF insists it will not lay down its arms until its demands are met including the withdrawal of what it calls “occupying forces” from Tigray.
Analysts say the risk is that the conflict flares even wider. Regional powers like Kenya and Sudan are watching nervously, fearing a refugee exodus. The United States has also expressed alarm, with President Joe Biden warning of sanctions if human rights abuses continue.
But for now, it is the people who pay the price. In Tigray, farming communities have been decimated. In Addis, families struggle to put food on the table. The election may have handed Abiy a landslide. But it has done nothing to heal a fractured nation, nor to put bread in the mouths of the hungry.
