In line with its long history of attracting the attention of many international actors for reasons ranging from military strategy to humanitarian assistance, Somalia has once again been the focus of international dialogues this week. The “attention” was not towards the million or so refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, the severe malnutrition among the Somali population or the apparent humanitarian emergency devastating the country.

As common prescription for healing the wounds of the past, national reconciliation, national dialogue and national consensus are the most commonly suggested remedies by the different political actors, elites, scholars and notable public figures in Ethiopian political, social, economic and historical affairs.

Political changes have become increasingly trickier since the turn of the millennium. The political wave that transpired in the Balkans and countries under the former Soviet Union during the early years of the century, despite being labeled as revolution, defies conventional knowledge about revolutions.

The dispute between the federal government and the Tigray Regional Government seems to have reached a tipping point. The small bubbles that have been building up for more than two years since the last General Assembly of the defunct four-party coalition of the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) in Hawassa, look to have gathered mass and the resulting tornado approaching the shores.

In one of the most action-packed weeks in recent history, the Ethiopian bi-cameral Parliament has kick-started its unique sixth-year term, having its term extended after the decision to postpone the General Elections due to COVID-19 pandemic