Dividing a society distinguished by nationality, ethnicity, race, or religion to condition people to have an “Us vs. Them” mentality.

In Ethiopia, citizens are forced to carry identification cards that classify their ethnicity. As a result Tigrayans are being forced to identify their ethnic origin in the government’s use of segregation, control and preparation for further stages.

People begin to face systematic discrimination and are denied basic rights. Ethiopia’s decision to freeze banking accounts in Tigray, as well as cut off power, communications and humanitarian aid to the region is a clear attempt to strip Tigrayans of their civil rights.

One group denies the humanity of the other group. Victims are vilified as animals, vermin, insects or diseases. The Ethiopian government and their allies have promoted hate speech against Tigrayans, referring to them as “cancer”, “weeds”, “rats” and “terrorists”.

The government creates special groups (police/military) to enforce the policies. Plans for genocidal killings are made and armies or militias are armed and trained. Genocides are often created by the state, but can also be organized informally. The Ethiopian government has mobilized ethnic based militias and armed them to carry out mass atrocities in Tigray.

Hate groups and extremists attack and segregate the group in question, broadcast propaganda, while also attacking, silencing and intimidating political moderates. Ethiopia’s government began large-scale detentions of Tigrayan civilians. Local vigilante groups have been searching and detaining individuals suspected of being Tigrayan and turning them over to the authorities.

Extermination plans are being prepared. They often use euphemisms to cloak their intentions, such as referring to their goals as “counter-terrorism". The Federal Government has detained thousands of ethnic Tigrayans on the suspicion of being “terrorists”.

Victims are identified and separated out because of their national, ethnic, racial or religious identity. The victim group’s most basic human rights are systematically violated through extrajudicial killings, torture and forced displacement. The Tigray region remains under a government-imposed siege and there have been widespread reports of gruesome sexual violence and ethnic cleansing.

The culmination of all stages resulting in mass killings and rapes of the identified other with lives destroyed as a result of what is legally called “genocide” at this stage. The perpetrators see their actions as “extermination” of Tigrayans.

The government denies that it has committed any crime. The perpetrators dig up mass graves, burn the bodies and cover up evidence. In Ethiopia, massacres of Tigrayans are deemed “fake news” and blamed on Tigrayans.