Earlier this week media reports emerged that Tigrayan People Liberation Front (TPLF) was withdrawing its rebels from Amhara and Afar to pave way for peace talks. The reports had hallmarks of TPLF’s media strategy which since the conflict in Tigray began has peddled a “victimhood narrative”. The government countered by issuing its own press statement. It insisted in the statement that TPLF did not voluntary withdraw from Amhara and Afar, rather the TPLF was compelled to retreat by the fighting power of the government forces.
The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) has been warring the TPLF since November 2020. A year ago, T.P.L.F. forces attacked a federal military base in Tigray and tried to steal its weapons. The conflict has since expanded to other provinces neighboring Tigray including Amhara and Afar. Thousands have crossed the borders into neighboring Sudan and Eritrea adding to socio-political tensions between the new arrival and local communities in those countries. Meanwhile, there have been thousands of casualties and millions of people internally displaced by the conflict. Cultural and heritage sites which attract thousands of tourists annually in the ancient town of Lalibela in the Amhara region, have also been impacted.
Media reporting have morphed into a major propaganda in the conflict, warring parties are using the media to gain advantage in the conflict. In November 2021, nine anti Ethiopian organisations based in the US held a press conference in Washington announcing that they were joining the TPLF’s fight against the government. At a news conference in Washington, DC, the new coalition said it planned to dismantle Abiy’s government by force or by negotiations, and then form a transitional authority. Notwithstanding the size and obscurity of these political organisations, the event resonated widely particularly within the international media. Subsequently, there was an upsurge in media interviews granted by international organisations to the TPLF.
The government’s initial response and interactions with the media since the conflict began have been wobbly. It has also been criticized for its treatment of journalists during the state of emergency. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Ethiopian authorities have arrested at least 14 journalists since declaring a state of emergency on November 2 as part of the government’s response to a year-long civil war against rebel forces allied with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The TPLF has taken advantage of the deteriorating relationship between the government and the media. Furthermore, the deteriorating relationship between Ethiopia and the US added obstacles to how the Ethiopian authorities deal with the media. The government has accused the western media and US based media in particular of bias. Meanwhile, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is due to consider a draft resolution that, if adopted, will set up an international commission of rights experts investigate abuses in war-hit Ethiopia. Ethiopia has condemn the move arguing that it has the right to repel the rebels. The report is likely to equate what the government regards as terrorism perpetrated by the TPLF to “a legitimate fight against terrorists who threaten the national cohesion”.
The government is changing its technical strategy in this conflict including how in relates to the media. Recently, it has used the media, including social media, to rally support across the country. Prime Minister Abiy has used the media to call on "all capable Ethiopians" to "show their patriotism" by joining the war against TPLF. Thousands of Ethiopians across ethnic lines have since taken up arms against the TPLF. However, some have criticized Abiy’s call for Ethiopians to take arms against the TPLF accusing him and his government of short-term solutions which could have a long-term impact on the national coalition. Having said that, there are many Ethiopians who feel that the government should deal decisively once and for all with the TPLF. TPLF stands accused by many in Ethiopia of committing human rights violations and past economic maladministration. The TPLF was a dominating party within the then Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) an alliance which governed Ethiopia. The EPRDF was an ethnic federalist political coalition in Ethiopia that existed from 1988 to 2019. It consisted of four major ethnic based political organisations; the TPLF, Amhara Democratic Party (ADP), Oromo Democratic Party (ODP) and Southern Ethiopian People’s Democratic Movement (SEPDM). Abiy dissolved the EPRDF in 2019 to form a new national political party the Prosperity Party.
The media has played an important role in covering the Ethiopian conflict. However, the media remains susceptible to narrative manipulations by all parties in this conflict. When the conflict began, the Ethiopian government was seen by many across the globe as an aggressing party. The government had itself to blame in that regard. It had a number of missed opportunities which were the consequences of adverse relationship with the media. That situation gave the TPLF an upper hand in the media, it enabled it to amplify its messaging. Finally, as government’s communications improve; the treatment of journalists remains a stumbling block in how the world view the situation in Ethiopia. Moreover, as the conflict intensifies it is likely that the access of journalists to the conflict will shrink and information flow impeded. That situation could unfortunately lead to further unfavorable reporting against the government.
About the author
Thembisa Fakude holds a Masters degree in Politics, a columnist at the Middle East Monitor in London and a Deputy Chairperson of a provincial governement investment promotion agency in South Africa, the Gauteng Growth and Develeopment Agency (GGDA). Thembisa is a research fellow at Al Sharq Forum in Istanbul, Turkey. He also serves on the board of Common Action Forum in Madrid, Spain and on the board of Mail and Guardian publication in South Africa. He is the former Bureau Chief of Al Jazeera Media Network for both Arabic and English Channels in Southern Africa.