Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s two-year feud with the rebellious ruling party of the Tigray region has exploded into a war, with bombings, massacres and ethnic divisions, that threatens to upend the entire Horn of Africa.

Tsitsi Dangarembga’s debut novel, “Nervous Conditions,” made her part of the African literary canon. Decades later, “This Mournable Body” has made her a contender for one of the world’s top book prizes.