I made a trip to Ethiopia at the end of 2019. Back then, even though things looked quite normal for foreign tourists, all Tigrayans I chatted to said that a war was probably imminent. And it indeed turned out to be the case.<p>Apparently TPLF (the dominant political party from Tigray and the party that had dominated the Ethiopian political landscape for a few decades) had close ties with China, while the new PM Abiy Ahmed is supported by the US and Egypt. So in a sense we are getting a glimpse of a proxy war of the new era already playing out in Africa. The Tigrayans were already accusing him of orchestrating several assassinations of prominent figures aimed at reducing Tigray influence back then. Of course, I guess the other ethnicities would complain that the Tigrayans unfairly benefited at the cost of them during the previous regimes. As always is the case, accusations that fly in both directions and all that.<p>I just find it really ironic that Abiy, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, is starting this war and manufacturing "the worst manmade hunger crisis in a decade" (according to the UN report), and perpetrating war crimes such as abduction, rape, and obstruction of humanitarian aid together with the Eritrean army, the cooperation with which was exactly the reason why he got this prize in the first place. Or I guess we're not supposed to be surprised at all, seeing how this prize has constantly been a laughing stock in recent years. If anything, what happened in Myanmar and Ethiopia should pretty much confirm the absurdity of awarding a so-called "Peace Prize" to political leaders who operate in such highly complex and dynamic environments which are far from black-and-white.