Dwelling on Africa: Country Report “Ethiopia”

Ethiopia is an East African country with a surface area of about 1.1 million square kilometers, neighboring Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia in the east, Sudan in the west and Kenya in the south, and is at the top of the international agenda with the failed coup attempt recently held in the city of Amhara. With the constitution adopted in 1994, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has a unique profile in Africa as it has never been run under colonial rule. The capital consists of two different private city administrations: Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa.

Ethiopia, the country’s largest ethnic groups, the Oromo and Amhara people, is also the most populous country in Africa after Nigeria with a population of over 100 million. The country, which is referred to as Ethiopia in historical records, is one of the castles of Orthodox Christianity in Africa. Although orthodoxy became the official religion of the state in the 19th century, Muslims, which have a share of 40% of the country’s population, represent the second largest group in the country. Although it is rich in natural resources, the country is poor in terms of underground resources such as oil, diamonds and gold, and has a disadvantage because it is not a shore. On the other hand, the most important sources of income of the country, whose lands are very fertile, are agriculture and animal husbandry activities.

Despite being the only country in Africa that has been exploited twice in the past, it has become the symbol of the continent’s independence. As the center of the African Union is located in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, the capital is home to the foreign representatives of many countries. Ethiopia, which has been frequently raised due to the border dispute with neighboring Eritrea and the Ogaden War between Somalia and 1977-78, is one of the main agenda items of international politics with the failed coup attempt against the government in Amhara. Although the coup attempt against the government of Abiy Ahmed, who was appointed as Prime Minister on April 2, 2018, was quickly brought under control, the country’s Chief of General Staff Seare Mekonnen was among those who lost their lives.

We reiterate that we are opposed to all attempts at the coup attempt against the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who has been known as the leader who brought peace to East Africa due to his mediation efforts with Eritrean, Djibouti and Somali countries in foreign policy since his inauguration.