Events in the year 2021 in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

Incumbents

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Sahle-Work Zewde Sahle-Work Zewde (, born 21 February 1950) is an Ethiopian politician and diplomat who is the president of Ethiopia since 2018, being the first woman to hold the office. She was elected as president unanimously by members of the Federal Parlia ...

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Abiy Ahmed Abiy Ahmed Ali ( om, Abiyi Ahmed Alii; am, አብይ አሕመድ ዐሊ; born 15 August 1976) is an Ethiopian politician who has been the 4th prime minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia since 2 April 2018. He won the 2019 ...

Events

*Ongoing –

COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia The COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have reached Ethiopia on 13 March 2020. Th ...

– Benishangul-Gumuz conflict (since 2019) –

Tigray War The Tigray War; ; . was an armed conflict that lasted from 3 November 2020 to 3 November 2022. The war was primarily fought in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia between the Ethiopian federal government and Eritrea on one side, and the Tigray Peop ...

(since 2020)

January

*3 January –

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, and Ethiopia agree to hold further talks this month to resolve their dispute over the

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam , image = , image_caption = The main dam after first filling , image_alt = , location_map_caption = , coordinates = , country = Ethiopia , location = Guba, Benishangul-Gumuz Region , purpose = Power , status = UC , construction_began ...

on the

Blue Nile The Blue Nile (; ) is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. It travels for approximately through Ethiopia and Sudan. Along with the White Nile, it is one of the two major tributaries of the Nile and supplies about 85.6% of the water ...

. *5 January – The

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

promises to repair the centuries-old

Al Nejashi Mosque The Al Nejashi Mosque is a mosque in Negash, Tigray Region, Ethiopia. History The mosque was established in the 7th century. In 2018, the mosque was renovated with funds from Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency. Accommodations, visito ...

and the

Orthodox Christian Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churche ...

of Saint Emmanuel in

Wukro Wukro ( Tigrigna: ውቕሮ) (also known as Wukro Kilte Awulaelo; Tigrigna: ውቕሮ ክልተ ኣውላዕሎ) (also transliterated Wuqro; is a town and separate woreda in Tigray, Ethiopia. Wukro is located along Genfel River, in the Misra ...

that were damaged in December 2020 during the Tigray conflict in the Tigray conflict. *6 January **

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Belay Seyoum admits that troops from the

Eritrean Army The Eritrean Army is the main branch of the Defense Force of the State of Eritrea and is one of the largest armies in Africa. The main roles of the army in Eritrea is defense from external aggressors, border security, and developing national coh ...

entered

Tigray Region The Tigray Region, officially the Tigray National Regional State, is the northernmost regional state in Ethiopia. The Tigray Region is the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob, and Kunama people. Its capital and largest city is Mekelle. Tigray is ...

in December 2020. **An Italian company apologizes for naming a type of pasta "Abissine," reminiscent of the colonial-era fascist name for Ethiopia. *9 January – at least 750 people are killed in an

Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን, ''Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan'') is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Chris ...

church in Tigray. Locals blame raiders of the Lost

Ark of the Covenant The Ark of the Covenant,; Ge'ez: also known as the Ark of the Testimony or the Ark of God, is an alleged artifact believed to be the most sacred relic of the Israelites, which is described as a wooden chest, covered in pure gold, with an e ...

. *12 January **Approximately 80

civilian Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not "combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant, b ...

s were killed around the village of Daletti in

Metekel Zone Metekel Zone is located in Benshangul-Gumuz of Ethiopia. It is bordered on the south and southwest by Kamashi, on the west by Sudan, and on the north and east by the Amhara region. The Abay River defines the Zone's boundaries with Kamashi, whi ...

, with opposition politicians blaming Gumuz militias. *13 January **Tigray: The government says it has killed former Foreign Minister

Seyoum Mesfin Seyoum Mesfin Gebredingel (; , ; 25 January 1949 – 13 January 2021) was an Ethiopian politician and diplomat. He was Ethiopia's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1991 to 2010 and served as Ethiopia's Ambassador to China from 2011 to 2017. Ea ...

and two other members of the Tigray Region′s former ruling party. **United States Senators

Chris Murphy Christopher Scott Murphy (born August 3, 1973) is an American lawyer, author, and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Connecticut since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States Hou ...

Patrick Leahy Patrick Joseph Leahy (; born March 31, 1940) is an American politician and attorney who is the senior United States senator from Vermont and serves as the president pro tempore of the United States Senate. A member of the Democratic Party, ...

, and

Ben Cardin Benjamin Louis Cardin (born October 5, 1943) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Maryland, a seat he has held since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously was the U.S. representati ...

call for the government of Ethiopia to release journalists who have been arrested and to restore

press freedom Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic media, especially published materials, should be considered a right to be exerci ...

. **At least 80 civilians, including children as young as two, are killed in

Benishangul-Gumuz Region Benishangul-Gumuz ( am, ቤንሻንጉል ጉሙዝ, Benšangul Gumuz) is a regional state in northwestern Ethiopia to the border of Sudan. It was previously known as Region 6. The region's capital is Assosa. Following the adoption of the 1 ...

in what is believed to be ethnic fighting. *22 January – The UN says it has received reports of

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

in Tigray.

February

*2 February – The opposition in Tigray says 50,000 civilians have been killed in the last three months. *11 February – Filsan Abdullahi Ahmed, minister for women, confirms widespread rape in the Tigray War. She noted a lack of rape kits and HIV/AIDS drugs to test and treat victims. *13 February – Demonstrators protest in

Oromia Region Oromia (Amharic: ) ( om, Oromiyaa) is a regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. The capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa. It is bordered by the Somali Region to the east; the Amhara Region, the Afar Region and the Benish ...

against the deteriorating health of Bekele Gerba,

Jawar Mohammed Jawar Mohammed ( om, Jawaar Mahammad; born 12 May 1986) is an Ethiopian political analyst and activist. One of the founders of the Oromia Media Network (OMN), Jawar was a leading organizer of the 2014–2016 Oromo protests. He has been credited ...

, and 18 other members of the

Oromo Federalist Congress The Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) (, KFO; is a political party based in Ethiopia that was created in 2012 from the merger of the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement and Oromo People's Congress. Creation In July 2012, Oromo Federalist Democrat ...

(OFC) who have been on

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...

since 27 January. Prison officials refuse to transfer them to a hospital. *17 February – A power outage attributed to the TPLF hits Tigray. In an unrelated event, the Tigray council of religious institutions – representing Ethiopian Orthodox, Catholic, Islamic and evangelical churches – calls for the withdrawal of Eritrean forces. *19 February – The United States says it will "de-link" its suspension of millions of dollars of aid from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The statement implied that developments in Tigray will be considered. *20 February – The TPLF lays out eight conditions for peace in Tigray, including the appointment of an international mediator and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid.

March

*1 March – Four media workers in

, including a translator for

Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse (AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency. AFP has regional headquarters in Nicosia, Montevideo, Hong Kong and Washington, D.C ...

, are arrested. *3 March **The government declares there were "credible allegations of atrocities and human rights abuses" at the

Aksum massacre The Axum massacre (alternatively spelled Aksum, also called the Maryam Ts'iyon massacre) was a massacre of about 100–800 civilians that took place in Axum during the Tigray War. The main part of the massacre occurred on the afternoon and eveni ...

last November. **The four media workers in the Tigray Region are freed. *4 March – The

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the Organs of the United Nations, six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international security, international peace and security, recommending the admi ...

fails to reach a consensus on a resolution to end the Tigray War. *10 March – Berhane Kidanemariam, the deputy chief of mission at the Ethiopian embassy in Washington, resigns because of disagreements over policies in Tigray. *11 March –

Amhara Region The Amhara Region ( am, አማራ ክልል, Åmara Kilil), officially the Amhara National Regional State (), is a regional state in northern Ethiopia and the homeland of the Amhara people. Its capital is Bahir Dar which is the seat of the Reg ...

spokesperson Gizachew Muluneh denies that its forces are engaged in

ethnic cleansing Ethnic cleansing is the systematic forced removal of ethnic, racial, and religious groups from a given area, with the intent of making a region ethnically homogeneous. Along with direct removal, extermination, deportation or population transfer ...

in the

Western Zone Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

of Tigray Region, one day after

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

Antony Blinken Antony John Blinken (born April 16, 1962) is an American government official and diplomat serving as the 71st United States secretary of state since January 26, 2021. He previously served as deputy national security advisor from 2013 to 2015 and ...

uses the phrase in tesimony. *15 March – ''

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF; pronounced ), also known as Doctors Without Borders, is a humanitarian medical non-governmental organisation (NGO) or charity of French origin known for its projects in conflict zones and in countries affected by endemic diseases. M ...

'' (MSF) reports that 70% of medical facilities in Tigray have been vandalized and looted. *18 March – Senator

Chris Coons Christopher Andrew Coons (born September 9, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Delaware since 2010. A member of the Democratic Party, Coons served as the county executive of New Castle Cou ...

(D-DL) is sent to Ethiopia to express United States' concerns about

in Tigray. *23 March – MSF says its members witnessed four civilians being dragged from a bus and murdered on the road from Mekelle to

Adigrat Adigrat (, ''ʿaddigrat'', also called ʿAddi Grat) is a city and separate woreda in Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It is located in the Misraqawi Zone at longitude and latitude , with an elevation of above sea level and below a high ridge to the we ...

, Tigray. *31 March – Militants related to the

Oromo Liberation Army The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA; , WBO) is an armed opposition group active in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. The OLA consist primarily of former armed members of the pre-peace deal OLF who refused to disarm out of skepticism of the peace deal, ...

(OLA) are accused of killing dozens of civilians in

April to June

*8 June – Ethiopia begins filling the

Grand Renaissance Dam , image = , image_caption = The main dam after first filling , image_alt = , location_map_caption = , coordinates = , country = Ethiopia , location = Guba, Benishangul-Gumuz Region , purpose = Power , status = UC , construction_began ...

(GERD). *18 June –

Operation Alula Operation Alula Aba Nega ( ti, ወፍሪ አሉላ አባ ነጋ, italic=no), commonly shortened to Operation Alula ( ti, ወፍሪ አሉላ, italic=no), was a counter-offensive during the Tigray War by the Tigray Defense Forces against the E ...

begins *30 June - Ethiopian forces retreat from Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, ahead of the advancing Tigrayan troops.

July to September

* 29 July – Tigray conflict begins to spread as intense fighting is being reported in Ethiopia's Amhara state. * 5 August – Tigrayan rebels capture the city of

Lalibela Lalibela ( am, ላሊበላ) is a town in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Lasta district and North Wollo Zone, it is a tourist site for its famous rock-cut monolithic churches. The whole of Lalibela is a large and important site ...

. * 10 August – Ethiopian Prime Minister

calls on civilians to join the war in Tigray. * 11 August – Ethiopian rebels

TPLF The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF; ti, ህዝባዊ ወያነ ሓርነት ትግራይ, lit=Popular Struggle for the Freedom of Tigray), also called the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front, is a left-wing ethnic nationalist paramilitar ...

and Oromo Liberation Army agree on a military alliance to fight federal Ethiopian forces.

December

* 11 December - 22 members of Kawarja Islamists are reportedly arrested in the Bale Zone of Oromia regional state of Ethiopia. According to a report by Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC), which cited police authority from the zone, they were captured in a joint security forces operation. They have been engaged in providing training, under the cover of preaching faith, for unspecified terrorist mission. The source also cited Oromia Broadcasting network to report that the group has members who took military training in

Puntland Puntland ( so, Puntland, ar, أرض البنط, it, Terra di Punt or ''Paese di Punt''), officially the Puntland State of Somalia ( so, Dowlad Goboleedka Puntland ee Soomaaliya, ar, ولاية أرض البنط الصومالية), is a F ...

. Kawarja Islamists terrorists were said to have been operating at least since 2011. In that year, they were linked to the destruction of 50 churches in Asendabo, South West Ethiopia.

Scheduled events

*5 June – Scheduled date for the

2021 Ethiopian general election The 2021 Ethiopian general election to elect members of the House of Peoples' Representatives was held on 21 June 2021 and 30 September 2021. Regional elections were also held on those dates. The election was initially scheduled for 29 August 20 ...

. *TBA – The Ethiopian Accident Investigation Bureau says its report on the 2019

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport in Ethiopia to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. On 10 March 2019, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft ...

crash will be published in the near future.

Sports

* 2020–21 Ethiopian Premier League *24 August to 5 September 2021 – Ethiopia at the 2020 Summer Paralympics

Deaths

*13 January – Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) leaders:

(former

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

, 1991–2010);

Abay Tsehaye Abay "Amha" Tsehaye (; 29 April 1953 – 13 January 2021) was an Ethiopian politician and a prominent personality in the Ethiopian political discourse. He was active in the political scene from the early 1960s up to late 2018, initially as o ...

(former Minister of Federal Affairs, 2001), and Asmelash Woldeselassie (politician); killed during military action. *7 April – Mitiku Belachew, 78, Ethiopian-born Belgian surgeon.Le chirurgien hutois Mitiku Belachew est décédé: «On perd un guide extraordinaire»

References

{{Year in Africa, 2021 2020s in Ethiopia Years of the 21st century in Ethiopia