In escalating conflict, people of Ethiopia's Tigray risk displacement, U.N. says

Orthodox faithful attend the Sunday morning prayer session at the St. George church in Bahir Dar, Amhara Region in Ethiopia, November 8, 2020. [Reuters, Tiksa Negeri]

Nine million people risk displacement from an escalating conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, the United Nations said, warning that the government’s declaration of a state of emergency was blocking food and other aid.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is pressing ahead with a military campaign he announced on Wednesday, despite international pleas to pursue dialogue with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rather than risk civil war. Tigrayans dominated Ethiopian politics for decades until Abiy took office in 2018 and are fighting his efforts to remove their grip on power.