If you want to understand what's happening in #Ethiopia, imagine dividing the US into several parts assigning land to Irish Americans, African Americans, German Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Anglo Americans, Etc.

Now assume for the past 30 years one of those parties has been controlling the country by picking the leaders for each of the groups. Each group gets a piece of the action from whatever is happening in the region it controls with little to no oversight or accountability.

#Ethiopinas revolted as they always do when repressed long enough and a new leader emerges. He proposes reforms which would mean no longer doing business as usual but the same old people are in place everywhere. Good luck trying to teach a bunch of old horses new tricks

Each region begins to build its own special forces and arms itself to the hilt. Powerful, well-financed, and entrenched interests begin to openly resist the change. They blame the reform and increased federal oversight as an attack against ethnic-federalism.

The defiance devolved into an outright military confrontation that resulted in the leaders of the Tigray region attacking federal forces stationed in the region and taking hostage over 8000 troops. The federal response ensured.

The conflict causes destruction and many civilians to suffer needlessly. Similar tensions exist in other parts of the country. They cannot be addressed without addressing the root cause of the problem. The ethnic polarization needs to be tempered with concept of citizenship.

The country must strike a balance between protecting individual rights and freedom and the preservation and promotion of culture, language and heritage of different groups. The only way to do it is through these 3 principles, 1. Equal rights 2. Freedom, 3. Democratic Rights

It's not enough to declare these rights, there must also be structural change, 1. Independent and powerful federal Court in every region, 2. Separation of powers of the Executive and Legislative, Judiciary (they are not separate presently) 3. Term limit for all elected officials