Link to article: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/rally-back-militarys-campaign-ethiopians-denounce-us-2021-11-07/
On sunday, November 7, thousands of Ethiopian citizens held a rally at the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. The rally was done in support of Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who is the leader in the ongoing conflict between the Ethiopian government, and the rebel group TPLF (Tigray People’s liberation Front). The conflict has been going on for over a year, and groups such as the U.N.S.C., the African Union, and Ethiopia’s neighboring country of Kenya have called for a cease-fire. Prime Minister Ahmed has rejected these suggestions, claiming that the Ethiopian government is fighting to secure the country and “preserve democracy”. Many attendees at the rally were seen denouncing the U.S., who themselves denounced the Ethiopian government the week before the rally, and threatened to remove Ethiopia from one of their trade pacts.
From my perspective, this rally was done by the people because they wanted to boost morale for the Prime Minister. They wanted to do this because the TPLF was advancing closer and closer to the capital, and were trying to display their support for the Ethiopian government. One reason for them doing this could be out of fear, as the Ethiopian government has been arresting people based on their ethnic identity or their support for reconciliation. As mentioned in the article, the Ethiopian citizens denounced the U.S. because of the long-standing dislike of foreign involvement in formerly colonized African countries, since it is seen to the citizens as those powers trying to control the area again.
This relates to international relations through the idea of Liberalism vs Realism. The U.S, Kenya, and other foreign countries are adopting a liberal approach to solving the conflict, focusing on promoting diplomacy and peace between the countries, as opposed to war. The Ethiopian government is taking a Realist approach, saying that to ensure security in the country, the military power must be used to end the conflict. The Ethiopian government is also saying that they must stay in power, and that if the government falls, the area will devolve into anarchy.