International Studies Association (ISA) Global Conversations Series
Presents
Feminist Theory and Gender Studies Section (FTGS) & Global South Caucus
Virtual Roundtable: Ending the Conflict and Violations of Women’s Rights in the Ethiopia-Tigray Civil War
Date: November 5, 2021
Time: 10.00 EDT-US; 15.00 WAT/ BST; 16.00 SAST; 17.00 Nairobi & Addis Ababa
Register to attend: https://isanet-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lCC0T7zWT4u8LJEj-Lm97Q
A deadly civil war has been raging in Ethiopia, Africa’s proud capital, historically unbowed to any European colonial power, and the continent’s second most populous nation. This war began in November 2020 in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, between the Tigray Defence Force (TDF) and the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) but has since metastasized within and beyond Ethiopia, with the potential to destabilize the Horn of Africa region.
While there has been a communication blackout throughout the conflict, it is estimated that over 10,000 have already died, up to 230 in massacres, and about 900,000 refugees and 2.3 million IDPs have been created by the conflict, compounded by an ongoing famine. Grave atrocities are reported to have been committed by both sides in a conflict emanating from a power tussle in which the proverbial grass suffers the most as two elephants slug it out. Genocide, massacres, forced disappearances, attacks on refugee camps, destruction of cultural and religious sites, rape and sexual assault have reportedly been employed as weapons in this trenchant and unabating conflict. Once again, it is women and girls who bear a disproportionate burden of the atrocities of war and conflict, as both sides target them, and they are displaced, killed, raped, abducted, and denied humanitarian aid and assistance. The world looks on, and the African Union seems incapable of meaningful intervention to stop the carnage.
The objectives of this roundtable are to:
- critically assess the impact of the constellation of national and international forces in the prosecution of this war on its increasing protraction;
- evaluate the threats, conditions, and prospects for the protection of women and girls involved in and/or affected by the war;
- assess the effectiveness of regional and international efforts so far towards resolving the conflict;
- and recommend steps towards resolution, transitional justice, and postconflict reconstruction.
Roundtable Speakers:
- Dr Sela Musundi, Independent Scholar, Nairobi
- Rowena Kahsay, Tigray Youth Network, UK
- Dr Yonas Adeto, Director, Institute for Peace and Security Studies, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
- Professor Earl Conteh-Morgan, University of South Florida
Roundtable Moderators:
- Dr Siphokazi Magadla, Department of Political and International Studies, Rhodes University, South Africa
- Professor Olajumoke Yacob-Haliso, FTGS Co-Chair & Babcock University, Nigeria