Ethiopia voted on Monday in an election expected to cement the mandate of one of Africa’s youngest leaders.
Once seen as a unifier and peacemaker, Abiy Ahmed, 44, has presided instead over a new era of division. A civil war in the northern region of Tigray and intensifying ethnic violence across the country have been fueled by uncompromising rhetoric and a flood of hate speech and misinformation.
Around a fifth of polling stations are closed due to violence and misprinted ballots, and top opposition leaders are either in jail or have boycotted the vote. On top of it all — it’s the middle of Ethiopia’s torrential rainy season.
