Peace negotiations (per 15 November)

  • Getachew Reda, spokesperson and advisor to the Tigray government, told BBC Tigrigna today that the Africa Union declined to recognize the government of Tigray in the Pretoria agreement, pressuring his delegation into signing in the name of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, TPLF.
  • He confirmed that the delegation had not been representing TPLF, most of the delegation members do not belong to any party, including TPLF. He stated that the delegation signed the agreement as the TPLF to prevent the failure of the achievement of the Cessation of Hostilities (CoH) Agreement.
  • He adds that the agreement does not preclude that political demands of the people of Tigray will not be pursued. Demands – such as the right to self-determination, will be addressed through political dialogue.
  • An FP article warns that Eritrea may spoil the CoH-Agreement by continued presence on the battlefield.
  • FP mentions potential leverage of Eritrea over the anti-TPLF militants of the Tigray People’s Democratic Movement (Dimhit), and its connections with the Amhara-based Fano militants and other armed groups in Ethiopia, to continue fostering unrest in the region.
  • The article states that the threat of Eritrea has to be addressed, including through personal sanctions on President Isayas and those around him; as well as the groups allied to him in Ethiopia.
  • Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed confirmed to the House of Peoples’ Representatives that the designation of TPLF as a terrorist organisation did not mean that negotiations on peace could not take place.
  • Abiy responded to questions from the House of Peoples’ Representatives (HoPR) on November 15, 2022. He stated ‘’We have to stop war to bring peace and prosperity to the country’’.
  • The PM said ‘’we have gone one step forward. We discussed and signed the peace agreement. The next step is living up to what was agreed and bringing sustainable peace’’.
  • He also stated that there are conspiracies floating around the question of Wolkait (Western zone of Tigray) and that his government is not behind them. He stated that the issue of Wolkait will be resolved based on the constitution and that it is the people of Wolkait who will decide on their destiny.
  • The Global Society of Tigray Scholars and Professionals (GSTSP) calls for the content of the peace talks to be applied urgently and for the withdrawal of Eritrea from Tigray and Ethiopia in general.

Situation in Tigray (per 15 November)

  • The UN, international and local NGO employees in Tigray have started receiving food from aid agencies based in the area; the distribution started yesterday.
  • Sources state that flights containing aid were scheduled to arrive today (15 November) but had been delayed until tomorrow (16 November). It is reported that buses are on the way from Adama.
  • ICRC confirmed in the afternoon that their first convoy with two trucks of aid arrived in Mekelle, containing medicine and first aid kits. More are expected in the coming days.
  • Ethiopian Insight reported that the war in Tigray caused large-scale degradation of forest resources in the region due to heavy artillery shelling and plundering of nursery stations and seed centres.
  • The lack of access to electricity caused an energy crisis that led to cutting trees and shrubs as source of firewood, worsening the destruction of vegetation.
  • According to Tghat, a Tigrayan media outlet, Amhara officials have displaced 3.000 Tigrayan men from the “concentration camps” in Western Tigray and relocated them to an unknown location.
  • According to a report by the Mukwege Foundation & FCDO, Ethiopian forces and their allies committed systematic conflict-related sexual violence with objective of forcefully displacing or eliminating Tigrayans from November 2020 through May 2022.

Regional Situation (per 15 November)

  • Ethiopian and Kenyan authorities have signed a joint agreement for the prevention of terrorism, organized crime and human trafficking on 14 November.

International Situation (per 15 November)

  • On 14 November 2022, The UN General Assembly passed a resolution calling for Russia to pay war reparations to Ukraine. Eritrea and Ethiopia were part of the 14 that voted against the resolution.
  • US Congressman Brad Sherman calls for the continued Ethiopian suspension of AGOA and loans to Ethiopia until  humanitarian access to Tigray is established, the fighting sustainably ends, international human rights monitors and journalists access the region, and internet service is reconnected.
  • The US think tank Council of Foreign Relations (CFR) described the peace talks between Ethiopia and Tigray as one that has ‘’uncomfortable ambiguities’’ and ‘’undelivered results’’. CFR stated that Eritrea has not been part of the peace talks, despite its role as one the major antagonists in the war.
  • CFR states that Eritrea’s strategic agenda sees “Ethiopia’s weakness as essential for its security’’. It also expressed doubts whether Ethiopian forces will protect civilians in Tigray and states lack of clarity on the consequences of failing to do so.
  • The Internet Governance Forum, a UN body dedicated to increasing internet access, will hold a meeting in Ethiopia from 28 November to 2 December, says AP News. Observers have said internet in Tigray should be restored for the meeting to be credible.

Links of interest

ስምምዕ ሰላም ስለምንታይ ብስም ህወሓት ተፈሪሙ? ኣቶ ጌታቸው ረዳ ምስ ቢቢሲ ዘካየዶ ቃለመሕትት

Progress Towards Peace for Ethiopia’s Tigray Conflict

Eritrea Could Derail the Ethiopia-TPLF Peace deal

News: Law designating TPLF as “terrorist” doesn’t prohibit negotiations: PM Abiy

Armed conflict has degraded Tigray’s forest resources

About 3000 Tigrayan Men Moved out of Concentration Camps to Unknown Destination

Understanding Conflict Related Sexual Violence in Ethiopia

Twitter: ICRC Ethiopia onSaving lives before anything else! Our first convoy of aid supplies has arrived

ጠ/ ሚ ዐቢይ በሕዝብ ተወካዮች ምክር ቤት አባላት ለቀረቡ ጥያቄዎች የሰጡት ማብራሪያ

Ethiopia, Kenya ink agreement to jointly prevent organized crimes, terrorism

General Assembly adopts resolution on Russian reparations for Ukraine

Sherman Holds Discussion on Ethiopia with National Security Advisor Sullivan

Ethiopia hosts UN internet meeting after cutting off Tigray

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