Social media discourses amidst ethnopolitical extremism and conflict: The case of Ethiopia

This article examines how influencers and political armies in Ethiopia use social media specifically Facebook to propagate sectarian rhetoric and ethnopolitical extremism within a society grappling with protracted internal conflicts, prolonged ethnopolitical extremism, and armed clashes. The study employs qualitative research methodology, using critical discourse analysis (CDA) alongside facets of rhetorical analysis, to examine Facebook posts and comments produced in English and Amharic languages during the post-Tigray War politically tense period (the final quadrimester of 2023) amidst armed conflicts in the Amhara region. By purposively sampling content from pages of political influencers and elites, the study investigates the rhetorical patterns and discursive constructions shaping ethnopolitical narratives. The analysis reveals that the rhetorical and discursive patterns and textual trajectories on Facebook in Ethiopia are characterized by hostilities and animus, which are prone to promoting ethnopolitical radicalization and deepening the schism among ethnic and political groups.