The events of the Horn of Africa beyond any form of indifference

We often forget the effects of war, but the lesson that comes from the Horn of Africa, unheard and neglected like the conflicts that often bloodied it, must shake our consciences.

Ethiopia, which until 2020 was an African tiger, with an economy that seemed to be growing unstoppably and a young reformist leader at the helm, is today in default. And the cause of the failure is precisely the war, even if no one really admits it, because the country had to go into debt to buy weapons to fight the two-year civil war in the Ethiopian region of Tigray. And devastated Tigray is "on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe" comparable to the 1984-85 famine that gave rise to the Live Aid fundraising musical event. This claims Getachew Reda, president of the interim regional government, quoted by the BBC. According to Reda, "hunger and death" hover over the northern region, even though federal authorities have denied the existence of a famine. But they also deny entry to the media.

The conflict is believed to have resulted in the deaths and displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, destroying strategic infrastructure and making Tigray highly vulnerable. Drought in some areas and an invasion of locusts have worsened the situation, Getachew added. 91% of the region's population is exposed to the "risk of dying of hunger". But it is also difficult to stabilize peace. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called for "real" justice in Ethiopia, referring to the victims of sexual abuse, massacres of civilians and looting that occurred during the war. The UN Office for Human Rights and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) have published a joint report calling on Addis Ababa to address the violations and abuses committed. If those responsible are not punished, the war risks returning.

Tigray served as a model for Sudan which risks starvation and a Libya-style partition nine months after the outbreak of the civil war. According to OCHA, the UN aid agency, humanitarian needs have increased and almost 25 million people now require assistance in Sudan. More than 6.8 million people have been forced to leave their homes for safety in neighboring states or in camps for displaced people. Of particular concern is the situation in the state of Jazira, in southern Sudan, the breadbasket of the country where very violent clashes began in December between the paramilitaries of the rapid support forces and the Sudanese armed forces who have been competing for control of the country since mid-April. The collapse of agricultural production could soon worsen the difficult humanitarian situation.

For months, in the west, Darfur, already tormented 20 years ago by war, has been the daily theater of violence and horrors against tribes of African origin by rapid support rebel forces who mainly belong to Arab tribes. So the conflict is becoming ethnic. But the international community is above all interested in the fact that Darfur's gold could end up in Putin's hands through the Wagner group, an ally of the Rapid Support Forces, to pay for the Ukrainian war, while the regular army controls the Red Sea and the oil pipelines which supply China from Port Sudan. No one intervenes to stop the horrors because war is convenient for Africa's exploitative economy, for weapons manufacturers, for old and new powers. Let us remember this in January, a month traditionally dedicated to peace, which today needs our informed conscience more than ever.

Paolo Lambruschi
NP Gennaio 2024