Situation in Tigray (per 22 September)

  • The Telegraph states that it spoke to an Ethiopian Airlines employee who said the airline has been ferrying weapons and Ethiopian soldiers to the front in Tigray. Flight data shows an uptick in flights in the direction of Lalibela, a key logistics hub for the Ethiopian army.
  • The Global Society of Tigray Scholars and Professionals (GSTS) asks the president of the UN Human Rights Council to extend the mandate and scope of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE).
  • The GSTS also urged the Ethiopian authorities to allow access to sites without limitation and that all parties to the conflict should fully cooperate with the investigation.
  • A “proactive mediation” is needed between the federal government of Ethiopia and the regional government of Tigray, according to scholar Mehari Taddele Maru. To be proactive, it must be impartial and uncompromising on the issue of accountability for human rights violations.
  • Mediation efforts are highly dependent on military realities and they should be led by mediators who are accepted by both sides, other than current AU envoy, Olusegun Obasanjo, he adds.

Situation in Ethiopia (per 22 September)

  • The Afar Federalist Diaspora Coordination Committee issued a statement condemning the presence of Eritrean troops in the Afar region. The statement adds that the Eritrean involvement will have “disastrous consequences” for stability in Ethiopia and the Horn.
  • The federal government of Ethiopia rejected the UN report accusing it of crimes against humanity in Tigray and the strategic use of famine as a weapon of war. Ethiopia’s permanent representative to the UN in Geneva called the commission’s conclusions “self-contradictory and biased” in an interview with AFP.
  • The Ethiopian Ministry of Education has donated over 210,960,000 birr and food supplies to the Ethiopian National Defence Forces. The Minister of Education stated that the education sector is strengthening “its responsibility to produce a generation that values peace in the long term”.
  • Bloomberg says the gap between Ethiopia’s official currency and parallel market exchange rates has widened as foreign currency reserves dwindled and fighting restarted in Tigray.
  • According to Bloomberg, the Ethiopian Birr has been traded as high as 92 a dollar on black market on 21 September, while the official rate is 52.5 birr a dollar.
  • The Ethiopian House of Peoples’ Representatives held a discussion with the delegation of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee about the conflict in Ethiopia and instability of the country. The Ethiopian parliament calls on the European delegations to “strengthen the existing ties and support the country in its endeavours [towards peace]”.

Regional Situation (per 22 September)

  • Sudanese military leader General Al-Burhan is currently in New York to attend the 77th session of the General Assembly, “[opening] a new page in Sudan’s relations with the West”, says his media adviser. The international community stopped all political and economic support after the October 2021 coup.
  • The Sudanese diaspora in the US opposed the general’s participation in the UN Assembly. They repeated their call on world leaders to condemn the coup and put pressure on the military through a letter sent to the UN Secretary General and the US President, among others.
  • The Vice President of South Sudan, accompanied by a government delegation, travelled to Ethiopia on 21 September for a three-day working visit. They will reportedly seek to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, mainly on development and trade issues, says the Sudan Tribune.
  • Detainees in Kassala State Prison in Sudan threaten to begin a hunger strike to protest against their arbitrary arrests and detentions. The Kassala State authorities arrested several activists protesting against the killing of members of the Hausa community in July 2022.
  • Since then, the families of the detainees have been demanding the release or trial of their relatives, and are planning further demonstrations and sit-ins in front of the prosecutor’s office and the government secretariat.

International Situation (per 22 September)

  • The delegation of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee completed their visit to Ethiopia, which started on 20 September. They arrived today, 22 September, in Sudan to meet with authorities and civil society members to assess the situation.
  • The Ethiopian Minister of Women and Social Affairs, Ergogie Tesfaye, welcomed the delegation from the European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality and on Development. The delegation mainly questioned the Minister on the situation of women’s rights and gender-based violence.

Links of interest

Twitter: GSTS wrote letter to UN Human Rights Council

Tigray accuses Eritrea of launching ‘full scale offensive’ on the border

What Ethiopia and Tigray need for peace talks to succeed

Afar Federalist Diaspora Coordination Committee

Permanent mission of Ethiopia in Geneva

Ministry of Education Ethiopia

Twitter: Patrick Heinisch

Black market currency trade thrives in Ethiopia as economy tanks: Bloomberg

Burhan’s travel to New York opens new page with international community

Sudanese activist groups call for international condemnation of al-Burhan’s coup

South Sudan’s VP Taban Deng arrives in Ethiopia’s capital

East Sudan prisoners threaten to go on hunger strike over arbitrary detention

Twitter: Željana Zovko

MoWSA Minister Briefed EU Parliament Delegation On Women Empowerment Efforts

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.