Issue no. 2
02 July 2021
The intersection of China and Ethiopia’s political interests in the Horn of Africa - Zooming in on the conflict in Tigray
1. President Xi Jinping is committed “to addressing the question of Taiwan once and for all”. Taiwan is regarded as the breakaway province by China
2. Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) is seeking to secede from Ethiopia creating an independent country in the province of Tigray, a move tacitly supported by China’s rival, the US
3. The government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia has its back on the wall is Tigray against the TPLF forces
4. China, a serious actor in the Horn of Africa, the AU and Ethiopia could augment Ethiopia’s fighting power in Tigray. It could do that for many reasons including preventing the US domination in the region and quelling secessionists aspirations.
5. China will rely on Ethiopia for security and safe passage of its goods as it intensifies it Belt Road Initiative (BRI) on the Red Sea and in the region in general
Africa must brace itself for a protracted conflict in Tigray and possibly the Horn of Africa.