Situation in Tigray (per 14 October)

  • Sources say heavy fighting is taking place in the mountain area at the Tigray/Afar border southwest of Berahle. Artillery and tanks are involved. This front protects the highway towards Mekelle near Berahle.
  • Spokesperson for the government of Tigray, Getachew Reda, told Tigrai Television that after failing to advance on the Adiyabo, Zalambessa and Rama fronts, the allied forces of Ethiopia, Amhara and Eritrea have launched a new invasion in the southern and Adi-Arkay fronts.
  • Getachew said that the allied forces have continued to intensify what he called a genocide against the people of Irob and Kunama.
  • He added that the recent invitation by the African Union (AU) for peace talks was, according to him, a conspiracy to defame the government of Tigray for not accepting it.
  • A doctor from Ayder Hospital in Mekelle has blamed the World Food Programme (WFP) and World Health Organisation (WHO) for failing to provide food and medical supplies into Tigray.
  • According to the BBC the Tigray government is calling on all able bodied persons to join the armed forces. Interviewees say it has become taboo not to join.

Situation in Ethiopia (per 14 October)

  • Addis Standard reports that writer and central committee member of Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), Moibon Bekele, was shot dead by unidentified men in Addis Ababa on 12 October.
  • The OLF issued a statement saying they had received information that Moibon had been shot, but was in hospital for treatment.

Regional Situation (per 14 October)

  • Djibouti parliament declares Frud armé a terrorist group, following the 6 October attack on Garabtisan military base that killed 7 soldiers.
  • President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, will travel to Khartoum to meet the Chairman of the Sovereign Council of Sudan, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on Wednesday next week (19 October).

International Situation (per 14 October)

  • US Congressman Brad Sherman says he spoke with US President Biden about the “potential genocide” in the Tigray region.
  • Sherman said the president is very aware of the situation in Ethiopia and is open to listening on how to respond, particularly on ways to pressure Eritrea to withdraw troops.
  • The Canadian government has advised its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Ethiopia due to the ongoing armed conflict, civil unrest and volatile security situation throughout the country.
  • Videos have emerged of Tigrayans confronting Ethiopian officials who are in Washington to hold talks with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
  • In a letter, Ethiopian Deputy PM and Foreign Affairs Minister Demeke Mekonnen threatens to cut ties with Ireland “as a measure of last resort” if Ireland does not “refrain from further hostility against Ethiopia”, alleging that it is undermining Ethiopia’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
  • He accuses Ireland of having the intention of bolstering the TPLF and calling for coercive measures against Ethiopia, using its position in the UNSC.
  • The letter stated that “EU groups visiting Ethiopia privately advised us we need to mend fences with Ireland if we desired to normalize relations with the European Union.”
  • Ethiopia’s foreign security advisor, Redwan Hussein, states that Ireland continues to undermine Ethiopia’s relation with the European Union.
  • The German Federal Administrative Court finds that Eritrean refugees should be provided with travel documentation and that it is not acceptable to condition this on documentation provided by the Eritrean embassy, and refugees should be protected from Eritrean state intervention.
  • The ruling comes after it was determined that the Eritrean embassy in Germany forces Eritrean refugees to sign a ‘regret form’ before providing a passport (along with demanding a 2% ‘diaspora tax’ payment) which forces them to admit (future) crimes which can put them and family in danger.
  • Deutsche Welle observes that Germany is “finally taking a stand on the latest developments in Ethiopia” as it joined other countries in condemning the renewed fighting in Tigray, and particularly the involvement of Eritrea.
  • ABC News reports that the Eritrean fugitive Ghebremehdhin Temesghen Ghebru, suspected of human trafficking, was arrested in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, due to a cooperation between Italian, Dutch and British police, as well as Interpol and Europol. He was extradited to Italy to face justice.
  • Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, announced that 85 million euros will be made available to the Ethiopian people to fight the food security crisis.

Links of interest

ኣባል ማእኸላይ ኮማንድ መንግስቲ ትግራይ ኣይተ ጌታቸው ረዳ ካብ ዝሃብዎ ጋዜጣዊ መግለፂ

Tigrai Television  

Twitter: Fasika Amdeslasie MD FCS-ECSA MHPE

Ethiopia’s civil war: Inside Tigray’s capital Mekelle

Member of OLF and author Moibon Bekele shot dead in Addis Ababa: Addis Standard

One student killed in Debre Tabor university violence, more than 12,000 examinees walk out

Twitter: Patrick Heinisch Djibouti’s parliament designates “Frud Armé” as terrorist_group

President Kiir to make a rare trip to Khartoum

Twitter: Congressman Brad Sherman

Government of Canada: Ethiopia travel advice

Twitter: ሰይፈስላሴ ገብረመስቀል Tigray|ans confronting members of the  Ethiopian regime

Twitter: Redwan Hussien Ireland has been barbing and undermining Ethiopia

Ethiopia puts Ireland on notice, threatens to cut ties

Italy: Eritrea fugitive to be prosecuted for human smuggling

Wie Eritrea den Krieg in Äthiopien befeuert

Twitter: Jutta Urpilainen €85 million, to support the Ethiopian people.

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