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Kjetil Tronvoll
Born	2 March 1966
Alma mater	University of Oslo London School of Economics
Occupation	Professor, anthropologist
Employer	Oslo New University College

Kjetil Tronvoll is a peace and conflict studies researcher, specialising in Eritrea, Ethiopia and Zanzibar. As of 2021, he is a professor of peace and conflict studies at Bjørknes University College and heads a consultancy firm Oslo Analytica.

Childhood and education

Tronvoll was born on (1966-03-02) 2 March 1966 (age 58) He graduated with a master's degree at the University of Oslo and a PhD in political anthropology at the London School of Economics.

Peace and human rights research

Tronvoll carried out anthropological studies in Eritrea, Ethiopia and Zanzibar, and has been involved in human rights, peace processes and research in Eritrea, Ethiopia and other African countries. He was the first non-Eritrean researcher to enter Eritrea in August 1991 after the Eritrean War of Independence in which the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) and the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) overthrew the Derg. He stayed in a highland village studying the relation between the villagers and the EPLF. Tronvoll was an observer in the 1993 Eritrean independence referendum.

In a 2009 report on human rights in Eritrea commissioned by the Oslo Center, Tronvoll stated that while drafts of Eritrean law codes prepared in 1997 were consistent with international principles of law, the new law codes had no real effect. He said that civil society organisations and independent newspapers briefly existed in Eritrea in 2001 following the 1998–2000 Eritrean–Ethiopian War, but were crushed from September to December 2001. He estimated the number of political prisoners in the range 10,000–30,000 and said that there was widespread and systematic torture and extrajudicial killings, with "anyone" for "any or no reason", including children eight years old, people over 80 years old and ill people, being liable to be arrested. Tronvoll summarised the situation stated that in 2009, Eritrea had "developed into one of the world's most totalitarian and human rights-abusing regimes".

Tronvoll has expertise in the law of Ethiopia.

Tronvoll was a professor of human rights at the University of Oslo until 2010. As of 2021, Tronvoll held the position of professor of peace and conflict studies at Bjørknes University College. He was also director of a consultancy firm Oslo Analytica.

Harassment

During the Tigray War that started in November 2020, Tronvoll was the subject of a hate speech campaign, including death threats, that he said appeared to be based on misinformation spread by Ethiopian government agences, including the Information Network Security Agency (INSA). Tronvoll initially contacted Norwegian police to ask for a risk assessment, but was told that it was beyond the police's mandate. He requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to intervene. A Joint Council of Africa meeting in Norway planned for early February 2021 was cancelled as a result of the death threats, to avoid risks to the participants. The Stockholm Ethiopian Embassy claimed to be unaware of the death threats and of INSA accusations. The embassy stated that Tronvoll's analysis of the Tigray War and its context consisted of "unfounded criticism and baseless serious accusations against the Ethiopian government".

References

1. ^ "Kjetil Tronvoll – Professor". Bjørknes College. 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-02-13. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
2. "Notice de personne – Tronvoll, Kjetil (1966–...)". Bibliothèque nationale de France. 2010-04-26. Archived from the original on 2021-02-13. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
3. "Kjetil Tronvall". Open Democracy. 2019. Archived from the original on 2021-02-13. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
4. ^ Tronvoll, Kjetil (2009-07-22). "The Lasting Struggle for Freedom in Eritrea – Human Rights and Political Development, 1991–2009" (PDF). Eritrean Human Rights Electronic Archive. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-02-13. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
5. Martin, Rebecca (2011-09-09). "Swedes jailed in Ethiopia could get life: expert". The Local. Archived from the original on 2021-02-13. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
6. "Norwegian professor's life threatened by Ethiopians". Bergens Tidende/Tghat. 2021-02-11. Archived from the original on 2021-02-13. Retrieved 2021-02-13.

v t e Tigray war
Background	History History of Western Tigray Welkait question 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia Eritrean–Ethiopian War border conflict Elections in Ethiopia 2005 election / violence 2014–16 Oromo protests 2016–18 state of emergency Resignation of Hailemariam Desalegn Prelude Ethiopian civil conflict (2018–present) 2018 Eritrea–Ethiopia summit Tripartite Agreement Formation of the Prosperity Party COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia Hachalu Hundessa riots 2020 Tigray regional election
Timeline	Northern Command attacks Battle of Humera Asmara rocket attacks Mekelle offensive Operation Alula TDF–OLA joint offensive 2021–2022 Ethiopian state of emergency ENDF National Unity Offensive Battle of Shire
Impact	Reactions 2021 Ethiopian general election Spillover Sudan 2022 al-Shabaab invasion of Ethiopia
Peace process	Overview Ethiopia–Tigray peace agreement Interim Administration
Groups	Key actors Ethiopian federal government  Eritrea Involvement  Tigray / TPLF  Amhara  Afar Institutions Ethiopian National Defense Force Transitional Government of Tigray Tigray Defense Forces Eritrean Defence Forces Militias Fano UFEFCF Human rights organisations EHRC Inquiry Board Non-state EHRCO ERCS HRCE Seb Hidri Yikono
Human rights	Casualties Casualties of the Tigray war Discrimination Ethnic profiling Internment camps War crimes Massacres 2020 Mai Kadra Humera Adigrat Zalambessa Dengelat 1st Wukro Hitsats 1st Mekelle Axum Goda Hagere Selam Ziban Gedena Gijet 2021 Bora Debano Mahbere Dego 2nd Wukro Kola Tembien Zamr Gira Aras Guh Togoga Galikoma Chenna Kobo 2nd Mekelle Kombolcha 2022 Dedebit Berhale 3rd Mekelle Adi Daero Sexual violence Hawzen Destruction of Heritage Aksum Debre Damo Negash mosque Predictions of a genocide in Ethiopia Refugees/IDPs Hamdayet (Ethiopians) Refoulement of Eritrean refugees Shire Food Famine in northern Ethiopia (2020–present) Investigations ACHPR Tigray investigation EHRC–OHCHR Tigray investigation ICHREE
Category / Commons

• Living people
• Peace and conflict scholars
• University of Oslo alumni
• Alumni of the London School of Economics
• 1966 births