Situation in Tigray (per 29 September)

  • Sources from the ground reports that the Eritrean Air Force has carried out another aerial strike in a village named Adi Kokob near Shire town on 28 September, a day after striking Adi Dairo.
  • Alleged video footage is circulating on social media displaying the aftermath of the aerial strikes carried out by Eritrean forces in the town of Adi Dairo in northwestern Tigray. The footage has not been verified.
  • The airstrikes in Adi Dairo were reportedly carried out on 27 September, the day of Meskel festival (the finding of the true cross),  killing and wounding civilians as well as destroying properties.
  • A senior humanitarian worker from the town of Shire told the BBC that about 210,000 people have fled the town of Shiraro and the surrounding areas to Shire since 1 September.
  • Out of those who fled the area, 45,000 of them are internally displaced people who had previously fled western Tigray.
  • The town had undergone round the clock continuous shelling, he said.
  • He said that according to the people who fled Shiraro, Maiani Hospital was in the hands of Eritrean and Ethiopian government forces.
  • He also told the BBC that it is not clear who is currently in charge of the town of Shiraro, as the situation changes day by day.
  • According to an internal document from UNOCHA referenced by the BBC, at least 10 people have been killed by the fighting in and around Shiraro by 14 September.
  • Reuters highlights that the internet shutdown of over two years is among the longest shutdows in the world, repressing communications and businesses.
  • Getachew Reda, spokesperson for the government of Tigray, said on Twitter that Eritrean troops have looted World Food Programme (WFP) warehouses in the town of Shiraro.
  • He accused the WFP Chief of remaining silent on the looting of the WFP warehouses despite what he states is sufficient evidence.

Situation in Ethiopia (per 29 September)

  • A report by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) states that at least 50 people were extrajudicially killed in the Gambella region between 14 and 16  June 2022. The report accuses mostly government armed forces, but also Oromo Liberation Army and Gambella Liberation Front militants.
  • The EHRC also stated that families were not allowed access to the bodies of their relatives nor were burial locations made available.

Regional Situation (per 29 September)

  • Leaders of Ethiopia and Somalia met on 28 September reiterating their mutual desire to cooperate at multiple levels “with particular emphasis on economic growth” states PM Abiy’s office.

International Situation (per 29 September)

  • United Nations Security Council members held an informal interactive dialogue (IID) on the situation in Ethiopia on Wednesday 28 September.
  • The meeting was orchestrated by France, the Council President for September, and UN Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Hanna Serwaa Tetteh conducted the briefing.
  • On 2 September Ireland, Albania, France, Norway, the UK, and the US called for an open briefing on Ethiopia after the resumption of fighting on 24 August, the meeting format was rejected by the A3 members, seemingly at the demand of Ethiopia, resulting in an IID meeting (closed meeting with no production of meeting records).
  • During a US Senate hearing on the effectiveness of sanctions against Russia, Senator Menendez questioned the absence of similar US sanctions against individuals known to commit gross human rights violations in Ethiopia and Tigray.
  • According to News24, the US notes Eritrea’s central role in the resumption of the fighting in Tigray and calls on Asmara to “withdraw to their border immediately”
  • The New Emmy award for outstanding research was given to “Ethiopia: Exposing the hallmarks of a genocide” by CNN.
  • Norway announces that it will keep pushing in the UNSC for action in Tigray, stating that there is no military solution to the conflict. Norway stated the urgent need for a ceasefire and once more condemned the unacceptable blockade of humanitarian aid.
  • Ireland states that humanitarian aid cannot be a negotiation tool as UNSC is briefed by special envoy Hanna Tetteh.
  • The Food and Agriculture Organisation and Belgium are collaborating to provide Tigrinya farmers with the required seeds and fertilisers to make use of the Meher season, the most important for farmers of the region, states FAO.

Links of interest

Ethiopia’s Tigray war: Satellite images capture troop build-up near Eritrea border: BBC

Twitter: Tghat Media

Twitter: Getachew Reda, Spokesperson for the government of Tigray

FEATURE-Six million silenced: A two-year internet outage in Ethiopia

Security Council Report: Ethiopia: Informal Interactive Dialogue

Menendez Presses Witnesses to Take Action on Violence in Ethiopia

US calls for Eritrea to withdraw soldiers in Tigray, Ethiopia

Twitter: Nima Elbagir

Twitter: Norway – UN will continue to press for #UNSC action on #Tigray

Twitter: Ireland at UN on  Full humanitarian access must be restored

News: At least 50 civilians killed in extra-judicial execution

Ethiopia, Somalia eye shift from military to economic cooperation

Ethiopia-Tigray: Belgian Contribution Through The Special Fund For Emergency And Rehabilitation

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