EEPA SITUATION REPORT – HORN OF AFRICA – No. 250 – 27 July 2022

Situation in Ethiopia (per 27 July)

The UN International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia calls for information regarding alleged human rights violations committed since 3 November 2020 in Tigray, as well as information regarding identification of perpetrators to be submitted for its investigation. It is also calling on experts and other organisations to submit recommendations on transitional justice.
The deadline to submit information is Sunday 31 July 2022, but the Commission recommends sending it as soon as possible. The call for submissions can be found under the links of interest at the bottom of this report.
The Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Demeke Mekonnen, met with the three members of the UN International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia on 25 July. They discussed how the government and the Commission can work together. It is the Commission’s first visit to Ethiopia, and it will continue till 30 July 2022.
According to some analysts, the Ethiopian government says it will only cooperate with the UNHRC mission if it is based on an earlier 2021 investigation conducted jointly with Ethiopian officials. That enquiry was rejected by the Tigray regional government. The government is reportedly “playing cat and mouse with UN inquiry commission”.
Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, arrived in Addis Ababa on 26 July to strengthen relations with Africa. According to VOA, Lavrov seeks to counter accusations that Russia exports hunger while trying to strengthen the already strong diplomatic connections with Ethiopia.
For their part, Ethiopian authorities reportedly seek assurances that grain exports from the Black Sea will be restored. Ethiopia used to import over 40% of its grain from both Ukraine and Russia.
Eastern Ethiopia local officials and security experts say Al-Shabab militants are still active inside the country, despite claims that all forces have been defeated.
According to VOA Somali’s “The Investigative Dossier” program, this incursion – the largest ever conducted by Al-Shabab in Ethiopia – serves propaganda purposes. Regional officials now believe the 20 July attacks were a diversion to gain unopposed access to the territory.
A former Al-Shabab member told VOA that the plan is to raise the black flag inside Ethiopia to then issue a prepared statement saying that “jihad spread to a new front”.
A press release by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said that 11 villages in the Oromia region and 6 villages in the Somali region were affected extensively by the drought between February and March 2022. The report added that the Disaster Risk Management Commission failed to warn of disaster risk and prepare, so the effect has been extensive due to neglect.
PM Abiy today tweeted in the local language Tigrigna saying ”Today, as yesterday, we will overcome challenges and spread our hands in thanksgiving!!” and asked the people to have a 1-minute prayer to thank God.

Situation in Tigray (per 27 July)

TPLF spokesperson, Getachew Reda, accuses the Ethiopian government of preventing the movement of international diplomats to Tigray, such as UN officials or US government’s chargé d’affaires Mike Hammer.
Getachew says that the federal government is intentionally blocking regional and international peace efforts to end the Tigray war.
Tigray TV reports Tigray President Debretsion Gebremichael as saying that the TPLF will not accept laying down arms in preparation for mediated peace talks with the federal government. No framework has been agreed for peace talks yet.
The WFP announced that 1 million litres of fuel are needed to transport 80,000 metric tons of food to 4.7 million people in Tigray. They received only half of the required fuel from the Ethiopian government and USAID, and they need more donations to continue their work.

Regional Situation (per 27 July)

The European Union is supporting the creation of an organisation that will promote Ethiopia-Djibouti railroad relations. This organisation will be responsible to reduce costs and speed up travel between both countries, which will help trade.

Situation in Sudan (per 27 July)

The Sudanese Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) have apologised to the people for the failure of the democratic transition and the mistakes they made during their period in power from 2019 to 2021.
The FFC reviewed its performance during a four-day workshop. It regrets having left the control of the Ministries of Defence and Interior to the military.