Ethiopia is again at a poignant period in its history. Controversial 2005 elections and the government’s heavy-handed reprisals have cast doubts on democracy, and everyone’s hoping another democratic freedom fighter hasn’t turned dictator.
Despite many opposition members being unjustly jailed, their parties continue to rally, and in mid-2006 Ethiopia’s largest opposition party formed a new political alliance with Ethiopia’s four largest rebel groups.
If internal political turmoil wasn’t enough, relations with Eritrea heated up again in late 2005. Things are still tense as Ethiopia occupies Badme (awarded to Eritrea by the UN) and Eritrea refuses to allow UN helicopters to monitor troop movements along the border.
The southern front took an interesting turn in August 2006, when Ethiopian troops entered Somalia in support of the Somali government’s fight against the Islamic militia who control Mogadishu. Things escalated in December 2006, when Ethiopia officially declared war against the Somali Islamic militia and launched air attacks on several Somalia border towns.
Source: Lonely Planet
Ethiopia's Kingdom of Aksum Ethiopia Early Dynasties
Ethiopia's United Empire The Derg in Ethiopia Ethiopia-Eritrea War
