War politics and mental health in Ethiopia

The Northern War in Ethiopia between the central government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front is a political transition driver, as the war politics brings severe consequences on human life, health, and economic and social crises. This study examines the relationship between war politics and mental health in Ethiopia. The review used interpretive phenomenology methods, which rely on secondary data sources like research articles, media disclosure, political discourse, policy documents, and reports. The data were categorized into three themes: political drivers, mental health impacts, and the interconnectedness of war politics and mental health. The political drivers for the northern war were the power struggle after reform, the collapse of trust and dialogue, and military confrontation. The health impact includes psychological effects such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. War politics is linked to mental health issues through the destruction of health infrastructure, politicized aid, ineffective implementation of agreement (the Pretoria agreement), and unmanaged post-war consequences. There is an unmet need for effective, affordable, and culturally sensitive geopsychiatric interventions in the post-war period in Ethiopia.