The wars in Ukraine and Tigray were similar. Both shocked by their brutality. Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed twisted history to delegitimize an adversary. Putin, for example, argued that Ukrainian identity was an artificial concept and traced Russian…
The wars in Ukraine and Tigray were similar. Both shocked by their brutality. Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed twisted history to delegitimize an adversary. Putin, for example, argued that Ukrainian identity was an artificial concept and traced Russian identity and the Orthodox faith to Kyivan Rus in modern-day Ukraine.
Both Putin and Abiy underestimated their opponents. They expected the war to last only two weeks and responded to setbacks with viciousness. More than a quarter-million Russian and Ukrainian soldiers have died, and Russian troops and missile bombardments have killed tens of thousands more civilians. As brutal as Russia has been, Ethiopian troops and their Eritrean allies have killed more civilians in Tigray than Russian forces have killed in Ukraine. They deliberately starved a population.
The victims of Ethiopian atrocities, however, demand justice. Abiy is frightened. Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen now argues that any investigation from the United Nations into human rights violations could “undermine” the peace process. He is wrong. Certainly, many diplomats argue that International Criminal Court indictments create a disincentive for dictators to end their aggression. To apply such consideration to the crimes conducted against Ukraine or Tigray would be misguided, however. Neither Abiy nor Putin are prepared to go willingly into exile with a promise of immunity. Abiy has a Messiah complex, and Putin’s ambition is no less inflated. Nor will the ceasefire bring peace to Ethiopia.
Abiy, like his mentor Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, often repeats the mantra"African solutions for African problems." He hopes this will allow him to avoid accountability. The international community should rebuff this. After all, South Africa had its Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and Sierra Leone partnered with the U.N. on the Special Court for Sierra Leone. African solutions are clear: No leader should shed African blood without accountability.
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