Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a country in Northern Africa that has borders with Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Djibouti and Somalia. Ethiopia is quite a diverse country, with a population of 110,871,031 and a multitude of religions practiced, the most common being Ethipian Orthodox (43.8%), Muslim(31.3%) and protestant(22.8%). The country is 1,104,300 square km and has one of the two main sources of the Nile in their country (Blue Nile) *(CIA, 2021)*. The country is considered one of the only countries in Africa along with Libya to never be colonized *(Bobby-Evans, 2020)*, and they also are the country that hosts the AU headquarters, in Addis Ababa. The poverty rate was about 17.5% in 2012 *(CIA, 2021)*, which was the latest record I could find on that. They are currently in conflict inside the country with the Tigray, a native Ethiopian culture. Just like many countries in Africa, inner conflict is not a rare occurrence however, but it is especially true for Ethiopia as one of the most important countries in the horn of Africa, and their ownership of one of the sources of the Nile has also led to a lot of conflict not only politically but militarily as well *(Mesfin, 2021, 569-592)*. In regards to the Tigray in specific, which is the most powerful group in Ethiopia (both in military power and influence) outside of the central government, the war against the Tigray, which has been an ongoing conflict in Ethiopia since 2002, has been favored to the Ethipian government for a while *(Berhe, 2021, 562-592)*, with their troops currently set to leave Tigray and cease occupation of it after allegations of human rights abuse in the region *(Ali, 2021)*. The conflict will most likely continue after this, and it is clear that there is still bad blood between Ethiopia and the Tigray, which is why this is the topic I most want to investigate and learn about this unit. I looked at the country from a cultural lens almost exclusively, though the economics/politics of the nile are also interesting.

In regards to the Tigray conflict; Tigray-Ethiopia War

In regards to Global Warming: Ethiopia and Global Warming

*Ethiopia - The World Factbook*. (2021, March 23). The World Factbook. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/ethiopia/

Boddy-Evans, A. (2020, September 6). *Which African Countries Were Never Actually Colonized?* ThoughtCo. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0014292115001658?via%3Dihub

*About the African Union | African Union*. (n.d.). AU Agenda. https://au.int/en/overview

Mesfin, B. (2012). Ethiopia's Role and Foreign Policy in the Horn of Africa. *International Journal of Ethiopian Studies,* *6*(1/2), 87-113. Retrieved March 29, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41756936

Berhe, A. (2004). The Origins of the Tigray People's Liberation Front. *African Affairs,* *103*(413), 569-592. Retrieved March 29, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3518491

*Abiy Ahmed Ali 🇪🇹 on*. (2021, March 26). On Discussions with President Isaias Afwerki. https://twitter.com/AbiyAhmedAli/status/1375308233754173440?ref\_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1375308233754173440%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1\_&ref\_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dw.com%2Fen%2Fethiopian-pm-eritrean-troops-to-leave-tigray%2Fa-57009807