As he lifts the heavy hand of the state, ethnic nationalism and violence are spreading. Seventeen years later the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front ( EPRDF) , a coalition of ethnic liberation movements, overthrew the Derg. Although professing to be democratic and representing all of Ethiopia’s ethnic groups, the EPRDF ruled harshly and was dominated by Tigrayans, who are 6% of the population. Because Ethiopia’s economy expanded rapidly, many came to see it as a model of authoritarian development, similar to China’s. In recent weeks four ethnic groups have demanded plebiscites on self-rule.

Source: Ethiopian News December 06, 2018 15:33 UTC