Situation in Tigray (per 19 September)

  • Tigrai TV says another round of drone strikes hit the capital of Tigray, Mekelle, on 17 September. The attack hit  a residential neighbourhood around Hamlin Fistula Center in Mekelle.
  • Another aerial bombardment was also reported in Wukro town, eastern Tigray, on 17 September.
  • The Ayder Hospital counts 18 dead since fighting resumed, a surgeon told Al Jazeera. He added that none of the dead and others wounded seen by the hospital were armed fighters.
  • According to Al Jazeera, the conflict has become an “enduring quagmire” for all troops and militias allied to the federal government. It also says that for the ceasefire to have succeeded, the federal government should have responded to requests to restore telecommunications and electricity services in Tigray.
  • According to the Ethiopian Reporter, the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) has halted preparations to help rebuild basic service-providing infrastructure in the Tigray region.
  • UNOPS was commissioned to implement a project funded by the World Bank aimed at rebuilding infrastructure destroyed by the conflict in Tigray and improving access to basic services.
  • In its latest situation report published on 19 September, OCHA reports that tens of thousands of people have been displaced in Tigray, and that only 15% of the cash needed to continue humanitarian operations has arrived in the region.
  • OCHA expects further forced displacement around Adigrat, Mai Tsebri and Sheraro, while humanitarian convoys by land or air remain obstructed between Semera and Mekelle and Addis Ababa and Mekelle.

Situation in Ethiopia (per 19 September)

  • OCHA says that it is targeting 17 million people for assistance in drought-affected areas in eastern and southeastern Ethiopia. It is double the number of people OCHA was targeting earlier in the year.
  • OCHA reports that the volatile security situation continues to displace people in the Amhara and Afar regions.
  • PM Abiy Ahmed reportedly called two urgent meetings of Ethiopia’s leaders on 18 September, according to UMD Media. The agenda has not been published and it is unclear whether the meetings have anything to do with peace talks.
  • The authorities in the Benishangul Gumuz region are preparing a post-conflict plan, in 3 phases of implementation over 5 years, to respond to the deteriorating security situation.
  • The project reportedly requires 38,5 billion birr and is expected to begin in October 2022. The main areas of action will be in natural disaster risk management, agriculture and resource development and health protection and education.
  • Ethiopia is becoming “the Ukraine of Africa”, according to Libération, because of the ongoing conflict in Tigray. It calls it the main conflict on the African continent, and reports that hopes of peace were dashed after drone attacks followed Tigray’s statement of intention for peace.

Regional situation (per 19 September)

  • According to Addis Standard, the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheik Mohamud, said during a visit to the US that his government is working to bring back the Somali troops trained and held in Eritrea and have requested the US to support them. Bringing back the troops will contribute to the war against Al-Shabaab, according to him.
  • Hassan Sheik Mohamud said that Somali troops were not returned from Eritrea in the past because of political differences in the country.
  • Egypt and Sudan are running out of options to persuade Ethiopia to sign an agreement that would protect their rights in the Nile waters in the context of the GERD dam, says the Arab Center of Washington DC. This could cause a wider conflict if no agreement is to be reached, it says.

International Situation (per 19 September)

  • A delegation from the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament will travel to Ethiopia and Sudan from 20 to 22 September. Members of the European Parliaments will visit to discuss the conflict in Tigray and the political situation in Sudan.
  • The delegation will be led by committee chairman David McAllister and will first meet with Ethiopian government and civil society representatives to discuss regional security issues related to the conflict in Tigray. On the second day, discussions will be held at the AU headquarters.
  • On 22 September, the delegation will travel to Sudan to meet with authorities and civil society members, in order to “demonstrate their support for the Sudanese people in their struggle for democracy”.
  • The governments of Canada and the UK have updated their Eritrea travel advisories and recommends avoiding non-essential travel in part due to the ongoing military mobilisation. The Government of Canada says to avoid travelling “due to ongoing tension between Eritrea and neighbouring countries, which could degenerate into conflict at any time.”

Links of interest

Twitter: Tigrai Television reports drone attack in Mekelle

What stagnated the Ethiopia peace process?

ሶማሊያ በኤርትራ የሚገኙትን ወታደሮቿን ለመመለስ የአሜሪካን ድጋፍ ጠየቀች: Addis Standard Amharic

Twitter: UMD Media

Conflict recovery in Benishangul Gumuz to cost 38.5 Billion Birr

Ethiopie: la guerre s’enlise au Tigré, «Ukraine de l’Afrique»

Somali troops not returned from Eritrea due to the refusal of the Eritrean president: Addis Standard

South Sudan sets up mediation plan for Sudan-Ethiopia border row: Sudan Tribune

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: Limited Options for a Resolution

MEPs to assess armed conflict in Ethiopia and democratic transition in Sudan

Eritrea travel advice (Government of Canada)

Eritrea travel advice (Government of the UK)

Ethiopia – Situation Report OCHA

Disclaimer: All information in this Situation Report is presented as a fluid update report, as to the best knowledge and understanding of the authors at the moment of publication. EEPA does not claim that the information is correct but verifies to the best of ability within the circumstances. Publication is weighed on the basis of interest to understand potential impacts of events (or perceptions of these) on the situation. Check all information against updates and other media. EEPA does not take responsibility for the use of the information or impact thereof. All information reported originates from third parties and the content of all reported and linked information remains the sole responsibility of these third parties. Report to info@eepa.be any additional information and corrections.