The Economist reported on Monday that, contrary to popular belief, the bloodiest conflict worldwide last year occurred in Ethiopia, not Ukraine. The outlet cited Comfort Ero, head of think-tank Crisis Group, who claimed that approximately 600,000 non-combatants lost their lives during the Tigray War between 2020 and 2022.
In contrast, figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights estimated around 22,000 civilian casualties in Ukraine, including over 8,000 deaths and 14,000 injuries, as of March 2023.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have criticized the international community for failing to address the Tigray crisis and hold those responsible for atrocities accountable. Despite a peace deal signed in November 2022, The Economist expressed concern about potential ethnic conflicts in the future.
The publication argued that the ongoing conflicts in “the rest of the world” are worsening, with the number of displaced people and individuals in need of emergency aid doubling in the past decade due to conflicts, which account for 80% of this increase.
The Tigray conflict, which lasted for two years, is believed to have been caused by Ethiopia’s political and ethnic divisions and its complex federal system, with tensions escalating between the Ethiopian government and the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front. The crisis resulted in a blockade of Tigray, preventing humanitarian aid from reaching residents.
