In 2020, Ethiopia 's government under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed postponed the country's planned elections due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the time, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the largest and most dominant party in the country's northern Tigray region, accused Abiy of unconstitutionally extending his government's term.

The TPLF then arranged local elections — which it won — and denied the federal government's legal authority over the Tigray region, leading to a conflict that escalated into military hostilities between the TPLF and the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF).

Between 2020 and 2022, an estimated 600,000 people died in the fighting. Both sides accused each other of having initiated the conflict.…