It is apparent, but rather unfortunate that the little known fact about Tigray is the descriptive illustration of a troubled region with lingering social unrest in Ethiopia, because its government is at loggerhead of war with the Ethiopian government.
However, from other angle, it has to be said that Tigray is so much more than that. The beauty and mystique of the Tigrayan highlands deserve more than what some have called the region, “a war-zone”. But if the Ethiopian does carry out his warning of marching into the regional capital Mekelle, the stories about Tigray will not be any better.
A 72-hour ultimatum given to the forces of Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) to stand down and surrender has so far gone unheeded. By the end of Wednesday, that period would have expired. Many analysts have predicted a civil war in Ethiopia which would have disastrous consequences beyond Tigray as Ethiopia overall, struggles to deal with ethnic tensions.
If a war does ensue, these are some of the unique features of the Tigray region and its people that would be negatively impacted.
Ethiopia Won Her Independence In Tigray
Technically, Ethiopia was never successfully colonized by an European country. This bit of history was because of serious factors, including some that slipped from Ethiopian hands and the ones played into Ethiopia’s favor.
However, winning the decisive Battle of Adwa in 1896 during the First Italo-Ethiopian war was one of the historical strings Ethiopia pulled to ensure that it remained uncolonized. The intensity of the battle, as a result of the strength of the Italians, meant that if Ethiopia had not won in Adwa, there would have been an entirely different story.
Meanwhile, Adwa is in Tigray.
Tigray Is The Home To Ancient Ethiopia
The common era first millennium African empire of Axum, sometimes spelled Aksum, was located in present day Tigray. At its height around the 1st century CE, Axum was a commercial hub, influential in the trade between the Roman Empire and the East.
To date, archeologists continue to find evidence of the depth in greatness of Axum in the Tigray region. Coming before many other kingdoms in the East, Axum has been a source of pride for Ethiopians.
Axum continues to refer to a city in the Tigray region.
Tigray People Are Few But Influential
The region of Tigray, a vast hilly and arid area, is named after the Tigrinya-speaking Tigray people, Ethiopia’s fourth largest ethnic group who are less than 10% of the country’s people.
In spite of the relatively small number of Tigrayans in the country, the TPLF which represents the region and purports to represent the people, has shaped post-Cold War Ethiopia more than any other political organization in the country.
In 1991, the TPLF led a coalition of militias and movements to overthrow the communist People’s Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Subsequently, the group was part of governing coalitions, and at a point produced a prime minister in the late Meles Zenawi.
Due to disagreements with Abiy Ahmed’s Progress Party in 2019, the TPLF left his governing coalition.
Tigray Has The Ethiopia’s Oldest Church
The Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum was built around the 4th century CE, but, it was destroyed at two separate points in the 10th and 16th centuries by the Jewish and Islamic soldiers, respectively.
Notwithstanding, since the 17th century rebuilding of the church is upon the ruins of the 4th century church, Our Lady Mary of Zion is considered by many as Ethiopia’s oldest church. By virtue of its 1600-year existence, the church is one of the oldest anywhere in the world.
