Subscribe to this RSS feed
Wednesday, 11 November 2020 12:46

Statement of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, on the situation in Ethiopia

Written by

November 09, 2020

9 November 2020, Addis Ababa: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat is following with concern the escalation of military confrontation in Ethiopia.

The Chairperson reaffirms the African Union’s firm attachment to the constitutional order, territorial integrity, unity and national sovereignty of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to ensure stability in the country and in the Region.

In this regard, the Chairperson appeals for the immediate cessation of hostilities and calls on parties to respect human rights and ensure the protection of civilians. He further urges the parties to engage in dialogue to seek a peaceful solution in the interests of the country.

The Chairperson reiterates the continued readiness of the African Union to support an inter-Ethiopian effort in the pursuit of peace and stability.

Source=https://au.int/en/pressreleases/20201109/statement-auc-chairperson-situation-ethiopia

Wednesday, 11 November 2020 12:34

Update: The Tigray war

Written by

NOVEMBER 10, 2020  ETHIOPIA, NEWS

With internet and telecommunications to Tigray cut, and journalists under severe restrictions in Ethiopia, it is difficult to get a clear picture of what is taking place. There are no independent journalists reporting from Eritrea. However, these are some of the latest reports.

  • The African Union has (somewhat belatedly) called for a ceasefire and negotiations. “The chairperson (Moussa Faki Mahamat) appeals for the immediate cessation of hostilities and calls on parties to respect human rights and ensure the protection of civilians,” the AU bloc said in a statement, also urging talks.
  • Meanwhile, leaders in Tigray have accused Eritrea of sending soldiers over the border and attacking local forces after the federal government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched an offensive against the region last week. In a statement on local TV, Debretsion Gebremichael gave no evidence for what would be a major escalation of the conflict in northern Ethiopia and Reuters was unable to confirm it. “Since yesterday, the army of (Eritrean leader) Isaias (Afwerki) have crossed the country’s boundary and invaded,” he said. “They were attacking via Humera using heavy arms.”
  • As Kjetil Tronvoll rightly observed, if confirmed this has internationalised the conflict – turning a civil war into a regional war.
  • Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that the end of military operations in Ethiopia’s north is “coming within reach.”
  • The Ethiopian National Defence Force spokesman, Lieutenant General Bacha Debele, said that the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) Shene Group was also fighting the federal military forces in support of the Tigray Special Force in areas including Zalanbessa, Shiraro, Rama, Tsorena and other places.
  • The BBC’s Africa Regional Editor, Mary Harper reports that the head of Sudan’s refugee agency in Kassala says about 3,000 Ethiopians have fled into Sudan to escape the conflict in Tigray.

Tuesday, 10 November 2020 21:32

Ethiopians including soldiers flee escalating conflict to Sudan

Written by

By Reuters Staff

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Several Ethiopians, including army soldiers, fled the escalating conflict in the restive Tigray region to neighbouring Sudan on Monday, Sudanese state media and residents said.

The flare-up in the northern region bordering Eritrea and Sudan has killed hundreds of people, Ethiopian sources on the government side said, even as the prime minister sought on Monday to reassure the world his nation was not sliding into civil war.

The worsening conflict threatens to destabilise Africa’s second most populous nation, where ethnic conflict has already killed hundreds since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took over in 2018.

Four Ethiopian families alongside 30 armed federal army soldiers crossed the border to Sudan’s Al-Luqdi area in the eastern al-Qadarif state on Monday, Sudanese state news agency SUNA reported citing witnesses, adding that the soldiers belong to Amhara tribes.

Large numbers of other fleeing Ethiopians crossed the border to rural areas in al Fashqa region in al-Qadarif state, the agency added.

Local officials in the region are working with the Sudanese Commission of Refugees to prepare a camp to host the fleeing Ethiopian refugees, it said.

Residents living in Sudanese border areas confirmed the report to Reuters.

The local government in al-Qadarif state began closing its border with the Ethiopian regions of Tigray and Amhara on Thursday evening until further notice, in response to the conflict.

Sudan’s Security and Defence Council discussed the developments in Ethiopian on Monday and called all parties to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict, SUNA said.

Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz, Nayera Abdallah and Omar Fahmy; Writing by Mahmoud Mourad; Editing by Marguerita Choy

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Source=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-conflict-sudan-idUSKBN27P2XA

Tuesday, 10 November 2020 16:44

Ethiopia's Tigray leader says Eritrea sending troops over border

Written by

By Reuters Staff

NAIROBI (Reuters) - The leader of Ethiopia’s Tigray region accused Eritrea of sending soldiers over the border and attacking local forces after the federal government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched an offensive against the region last week.

In a statement on local TV, Debretsion Gebremichael gave no evidence for what would be a major escalation of the conflict in northern Ethiopia and Reuters was unable to confirm it.

“Since yesterday, the army of (Eritrean leader) Isaias (Afwerki) have crossed the country’s boundary and invaded,” he said. “They were attacking via Humera using heavy arms.”

There was no immediate reaction from Eritrea’s government, though its foreign minister told Reuters at the weekend that none of its soldiers had crossed into Ethiopia.

Reporting by Nairobi newsroom; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Duncan Miriri

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Source=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-conflict-eritrea-idUSKBN27Q1HT

Tuesday, 10 November 2020 00:04

Eritrean Yiakl Mass Movement: “Stop the war in Ethiopia”

Written by

NOVEMBER 9, 2020  ETHIOPIA, NEWS

Yiakl Stop the War Appeal

Eritrean Yiakl Mass Movement

ይኣክል | كفاية†| Enough

A call to the International Community to stop the war in Ethiopia

XX November 2020

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

[insert 1]

Dear [insert 2],

We the undersigned respectfully request that your good offices exert utmost pressure on the Ethiopian Federal Government to solve its internal dispute with the Reginal Government in Tigray peacefully and through dialogue.

The ongoing war in Ethiopia will have a devastating ramification for the Ethiopian people, and the Horn of Africa. It will have serious repercussions on the influx of refugees and internally displaced, which will overwhelm any humanitarian response. It will shatter the Ethiopian economy, which saw the fastest growth in Africa over the last decade.

The conflict has the potential to spill to neighbouring countries. It could have serious repercussions on the influx of refugees from different countries in the Horn of Africa to the West. Moreover, it could result in increased violence and internal displacements, which could overwhelm any humanitarian responses.

The Eritrean Government repeatedly and explicitly has been pronouncing that it would involve itself in Ethiopian issues, whenever necessary. Reports coming from inside Eritrea are indicating that it is already meddling in the ongoing internal conflict in Ethiopia. There have also been sightings of Ethiopian military units inside Eritrean territory. We are deeply concerned that the people of Eritrea could be dragged into a new conflict, which could culminate in the death of tens of thousands of Eritreans. Currently, Ethiopia hosts hundreds of thousands of helpless Eritrean refugees. The escalation of conflict could leave the refugees vulnerable to resentment and hostility. We, therefore, plead with you to exert utmost pressure on the Eritrean leadership to refrain from interfering in Ethiopia’s internal affairs and involving itself in the conflict.

We believe political differences within Ethiopia can and should only be resolved peacefully through dialogue, facilitated by formal and informal institutions within the country and the International Community.

Regarding the yet unresolved border issue between Eritrea and Ethiopia, the international community should encourage the two governments to implement the EBBC’s decisions, stipulated in the Algiers Agreement.

On behalf of the Eritrean People, we the undersigned human rights and civil societies call upon you, [insert 3] and the rest of the international community to intervene to stop this unwarranted and unnecessary war immediately.

We also urge you to call on the Eritrean Government to stop involving in Ethiopia’s internal affairs, and for the Ethiopian Government to withdraw its forces from Eritrea. Thank you.

Eritrean Yiakl Mass Movement – Canada

Eritrean Yiakl Mass Movement – Denmark

Eritrean Yiakl Mass Movement – France

Eritrean Yiakl Mass Movement – South Africa

Eritrean Yiakl Mass Movement – Sweden

Eritrean Yiakl Mass Movement – Switzerland

Eritrean Yiakl Mass Movement – UK

Eritrean Yiakl Mass Movement – USA

Eritrea Focus

Eritrean Women Network – UK

Eritreischer Verein für Demokratie, Kultur und voneinander Lernen e.V. – Germany

Foundation of Human Rights for Eritreans in Holland

Human Rights Concern Eritrea

Release Eritrea

Eritrean Institute of Policy and Strategy

Snitna Eritrean Network Group

Monday, 09 November 2020 23:59

European Union calls for a de-escalation of Tigray crisis, after talks with AU and region

Written by

 

Brussels, 09/11/2020 – 15:31, UNIQUE ID: 201109_14

Statements by the HR/VP

“Over the past days, I have been holding talks to support efforts to restore peace and political dialogue in Ethiopia.

During my talks with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, I conveyed the EU’s concern for the risks to the integrity of the country and the stability of the wider region should the current situation endure. In this regard, I have offered the support of the EU for any action contributing to de-escalation of tensions, return to dialogue and securing rule of law throughout Ethiopia.

In talks with Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, of Sudan, in his capacity as Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and with Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, I renewed the EU’s support to any initiative of IGAD and the African Union to address the situation.

Additional consultations have occurred with other partners in the wider region and will continue.

Stability in the region remains a priority for the European Union.”

Monday, 09 November 2020 23:34

UN Secretary General’s statement on Tigray

Written by

NOVEMBER 5, 2020  ETHIOPIA, NEWS

Source: United Nations

Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General – on the situation in Ethiopia

The Secretary-General expresses his alarm over the reported armed clashes in the Tigray region of Ethiopia and calls for immediate measures to de-escalate tensions and ensure a peaceful resolution to the dispute. He underlines the importance of the stability of Ethiopia for the Horn of Africa region.

The Secretary-General renews the commitment of the United Nations, with its partners in the region, to support the Government of Ethiopia in its reform efforts aimed at building a peaceful and secure future for all its peoples.

Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General

Monday, 09 November 2020 23:32

An Urgent Appeal Regarding a Looming war in Ethiopia and Eritrea

Written by

NOVEMBER 6, 2020  ETHIOPIA, NEWS

As active member of Eritrean diaspora communities, scholars and professionals who are very familiar with the countries of Horn of Africa and members of the Eritrean Research Institute for Policy and Strategy (ERIPS), we are writing this urgent appeal to bring to your attention the looming war inside Ethiopia and involving the Eritrean regime. Some reports are indicating that the war has already started in the northern part of Ethiopia between the Tigray region and the federal government. If the US, EU, UN and AU do not intervene quickly to mediate, we believe the rapidly deteriorating situation will create humanitarian catastrophe claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of lives and causing massive displacements. The violence may also spread to other neighboring countries.

We truly believe there is no justification for this war and it’s the Eritrean and Ethiopian people who will bear the brunt of the crisis. We also believe that President Isaias Afworki of Eritrea is at the center of this crisis siding with the federal government of Ethiopia and attempting to destroy his long-time rivals in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. The Eritrean tyrant has not only been creating havoc in the Horn of Africa but also, he has subjected the Eritrean people to unprecedented misery for the last 29 years. We urge the US, EU, UN and AU to take the following action to de-escalate the situation, quickly avert a humanitarian catastrophe and eventually move the region towards peace:

  • Pressure the federal government of Ethiopia and the government of Tigray region to peacefully and amicably resolved their outstanding dispute.
  • Take effective measures to contain Isaias and his regime; to stop him from interfering in the internal affairs of Ethiopia and to step aside and let a transition to democracy take place inside Eritrea.

Eritrean Research Institute for Policy and Strategy

Monday, 09 November 2020 22:30

ጨንፈር ሰዲህኤ-ስዊዘርላንድ ካልኣይ ስሩዕ ኣኼባ ኣካይዱ

Written by
ጨንፈር ሰዲህኤ-ስዊዘርላንድ ካልኣይ ስሩዕ ኣኼባ ኣካይዱ

ኣብ ሃገረ ስዊዘርላንድ ዝርከብ ጨንፈር ሰልፊ ዲሞክራሲ ህዝቢ ኤርትራ (ሰዲህኤ) ብዕለት 8 ሕዳር 2020፡ ሓያለይ ኣርእስትታት ዝዳህሰሰ ስሩዕ ኣኼብኡ ኣካይዱ። እዚ ካልኣይ ኣኼባ’ዚ ድሕሪቲ ብዝሓለፈ 14 ነሓሰ እተጋብኤ ምጽንባራዊ ኣኼባ ናይ ዝጸንሐ ጨንፈራት ሰዲህኤን ህዝባዊ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ምንቅስቓስ ሓርነት ኤርትራን እተገበረ ምዃኑ ይፍለጥ።

News Item 09.11.2020 Suisseመለለይ (ሰንደቕ ዕላማታት) ካንቶናት ዙሪክ፡ በርን፡ ኑሻተል ጅኔቭ።

እዚ ካብ ካንቶናት ዙሪክ፡ በርን፡ ኑሻተል ከምኡ ከኣ ካንቶ ጅኔቭ ዝቕመጡ ኣባላት ሰልፊ እተሳተፍዎ ኣኼባ፡ ብኲነታት ኣብ ውሽጢ ሃገር ዝነብር ህዝብናን፡ ብጸገማት ስደተኛታትን ናይ ተኸሲቱ ዘሎ ኲነታት ዳግመ-ውግኣትን ብሰፊሑ ተዘራሪቡ። ኣባላት ጨንፈር ዝኾኑ ክልተ ኣባላት ማእከላይ ባይቶ ሰዲህኤ (ማለት ብጾት ወልደሱስ ዓማርን ዮውሃንስ ወረደን) እውን ተረኺቦም ኣብቲ ክትዓትን መግለጽታትን ተሳቲፎም።

ካብኡ ብምቕጻል፡ ሓፈሻዊ ንጥፈታት ሰልፊ ዲሞክራሲ ህዝቢ ኤርትራን፡ እቲ ዝካየድ ዘሎ ትስፉው ሓባራዊ ስራሕ ፖለቲካዊ ሓይልታት ኤርትራን ሰፊሕ መግለጺ ተዋሂቡሉ። ንሃለዋት ጨንፈር ሰዲህኤ ብዝምልከት ከኣ ብወገን ኣካየድቲ ጨንፈር ብሩህ ዝኾነ መግለጽታት ተዋሂቡ። ብፍላይ እዚ ቅድሚ ገለ ዓመታት ክብ ዝበለ ብዝሒ ኣባላት ዝነበሮ ጨንፈር ስዊስ፡ ብብዙሕ ምኽንያታት ዓቕሙ ጐዲሉ ምህላዉ ተመዚኑ። ኣብ መሪሕነት ጨንፈር ንዝጸንሔ ሃጓፋት መሊእካ ሓዲሽ መደባት ጐስጓስ ክተኣታቶ ከኣ ኣኼባ ወሲኑ።

ካብዚ ብምንቃል እውን ብጻይ ተስፋጋብር ገብረ ክሳዕ ብኣካል ተራኺብካ ጉባኤ ዝግበር፡ ንጨንፈር ከም ጊዚያዊ ኣቦ መንበር ኰይኑ ከገልግል እሞ ኣብቲ ዕማም ብጻይ ዮውሃንስ ወረደ ከም ዝተሓባበሮ ተገይሩ። ኣብ ስርዒታዊ መዳይ ብጻይ ዓውተና ሃብተዝጊ ብምትሕብባር ብጸይቲ ምሕረት መኰነን፣ ኣብ ገነዘባዊ ጐስጓስ ከኣ ብጻይ ምሓሪ ዓማር ብምትብባር ብጸይቲ ለተኣብ ተወልደ ብግዚያውነት ከም ዝምደቡ ተወሲኑ።

Monday, 09 November 2020 18:28

Statement of Eritrean Political Forces On the Current Developments in Ethiopia

Written by
Page 251 of 633