Peace negotiations (per 08 November)

  • In conformity with article 6(d) of the peace agreement, senior commanders from the Tigray government and Ethiopian federal government are currently meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. The establishment of a roadmap for immediate humanitarian access, restoration of services in the Tigray region and disarmament issues are on the agenda.
  • Tigray and Ethiopia established a hotline to facilitate communication between senior commanders.
  • In their statement, the AU “commends the Parties on these key confidence-building measures [meeting and hotline] and their continued commitment to the implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement”.
  • The talks are led by Field Marshal Berhanu Jula, chief of staff of the Ethiopian Armed Forces, and General Tadesse Worede, commander-in-chief of the Tigray forces.
  • Eritrea Press Agency Amharic, an Eritrean government media outlet, calls on the Amhara regional government not to support the peace agreement. It urges the Amhara government to analyse whether the agreement goes against the rights and interests of the Amhara people, including regarding identity and territorial issues.
  • It also calls on Amhara parties, elite, activists, Fano leadership and diaspora to organise platforms to discuss the peace agreement and come to a common position.
  • Eritrea Press Agency Amharic also warns the Amhara Government that the Ethiopian Federal government may be willing to compromise Amharic interests due to external pressure.
  • Amhara authorities have however stated that they are “ready to fulfil its responsibility so that the implementation of the peace deal will achieve its intended objective of bringing peace” while not directly addressing the issue of Western Tigray, says US News and World Reports.

Situation in Tigray (per 08 November)

  • Sources report that the cessation of hostilities appears to be holding in Tigray.

Situation in Ethiopia (per 08 November)

  • The BBC analysed videos of a massacre committed near Chefa Robit against Oromo civilians in December 2021 to trace where the massacre took place, and who were the victims and perpetrators.
  • The BBC identified the road seen in the videos, running from Kemiso to Chefa Robit.
  • An anonymous government source provided BBC with a list of 30 Oromo nationals said to have been killed. Some of the family members were contacted, who testified the families were prevented from mourning the victims.
  • The BBC identified the clothing of the perpetrators as that worn by Fano and Amhara Special Forces. It was not able to identify individual perpetrators seen in the video.
  • The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) urged for adequate, timely and accessible humanitarian support for people displaced in the Konso zone and 3 neighbouring districts in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region of Ethiopia.
  • World Health Organization (WHO) Ethiopia and Ethiopian health officials are collaborating to respond to a Cholera outbreak in Harena Buluk and Berbera woredas of the Bale zone in Southern Oromia.
  • 9 people are reported to have died thus far and 331 cases were confirmed as of 31 October, says Addis Standard.

Regional Situation (per 08 November)

  • The Sudan Tribune reports that Saudi Arabia has pledged to invest $3 billion to Sudan following a meeting between General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on 7 November.
  • United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, praised the positive steps taken in the implementation of the Revitalised Peace Agreement in South Sudan but added more needed to be done to achieve lasting stability.
  • According to Linda Ogallo, climate adaptation expert at the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), climate events have been accelerating conflicts in the Horn of Africa.
  • She states that the prevalence of agriculture and agro-pastoralism creates heightened tensions when climate events trigger population movements, creating inter-community or cross-border conflicts.
  • She states  climate events currently cause conflicts in Kenya, South Sudan and Somalia.
  • The World Health Organisation has donated 39 tons of medical supplies to Somalia in the wake of the K5 junction terror attack.
  • Another suspected attack by al-Shabab took place on 5 November in Mogadishu with a suicide bomber killing 15 people in  a detonation near a military camp, says the Somali Guardian.

International Situation (per 08 November)

  • Turkish President Erdogan states he and Putin agreed to deliver grain free of charge to the Horn region, mainly to Sudan, Somalia and Djibouti. The amounts to be delivered were not specified.

Links of interest

Senior Commanders Meeting on the Implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement

Military leaders of Ethiopia warring parties talk disarmament

በኮንሶ ዞን እና በአጎራባች ሦስት ልዩ ወረዳዎች ለሚገኙ ተፈናቃዮች በቂ፣ ወቅቱን የጠበቀ እና ተደራሽ የሰብአዊ ድጋፍ እንዲኖር ኢሰመኮ አሳሰበ

Ethiopia conflict: Looking for clues in video of forgotten massacre

WHO Ethiopia joins emergency response to contain Cholera outbreak in Bale zone, Oromia region

Saudi Arabia to invest $3 billion in Sudan: Sudan Tribune

Peace agreement key for South Sudan stability, says UN official

WHO Donates Emergency Medical Supplies to Somalia

Suicide bomber kills at least 15 army recruits in Somalia’s capital

Eritrea Press agency Amharic

Ethiopia’s Amhara Backs Tigray Truce, Makes No Mention of Disputed Territory

Erdogan, Putin agreed to send Russian grains to poor African countries for free

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