Peace negotiations (per 02 December)

  • Tigray regional state president, Dr Debretsion Gebremichael, said in a briefing with religious and civil society leaders on 02 December that the Cessation of Hostilities  (CoH) Agreement ensures the security and survival of the people of Tigray.
  • He added that the CoH Agreement addresses the demands of Tigray and called on the people to remain united on the peace deal.
  • According to Dimtsi Weyane, Tigray Defense Forces have started disengaging and repositioning themselves away from the front lines of Maykindetal, Zalambesa, Nebelet, Chechercher, Kukufto, Higumbrda, Beriteklay and Abergele as part of the implementation of the CoH Agreement.

Situation in Tigray (per 02 December)

  • An official report seen by the Associated Press (AP) details that Eritrean troops have continued to kill civilians in Tigray, despite the CoH Agreement.
  • The report seen by AP, compiled by the Tigray Emergency Center, says that 111 civilians were killed by Eritrean forces in Eastern Tigray between 17 and 25 November. Another 103 people were injured.
  • It also reports “widespread looting” and the destruction of 241 houses, and the kidnapping of 39 people by Eritrean forces.
  • A source states that the Adi Harush refugee camp is now empty, with all refugees having been moved to the Dabat area in the Amhara region. Some might still be present in May Tsebri town.
  • UNICEF states that conditions for children in Tigray remain extremely dire. It warns that “children under five are currently experiencing critical levels of wasting across several parts of the region, with children aged 6-24 months being the worst affected.”
  • The Global Society of Tigray Professional (GSTP) wrote an open letter to former President Obasanjo, former President Kenyatta and former Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka as well as high representatives from the UN, EU and US asking for the resumption of services and delivery of urgently needed humanitarian aid to Tigray.
  • Doctors in Tigray warn that the interruption of the availability of antiretroviral drugs may have increased the spread of HIV in the region, while the spread in the rest of Ethiopia has gone down.
  • Economic difficulties have resulted in a rise in sex work coupled with an absence of preventive tools such as condoms, said a medical expert at Ayder referral hospital to Addis Standard.
  • Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance stated that 20 billion USD would be needed to rebuild the Tigray region’s infrastructure after the 2 years of war.

Situation in Ethiopia (per 02 December)

  • The Ethiopian national anti-corruption committee announced the arrest of high level officials suspected of corruption, including the Director General of Ethiopian Financial Security Services, Tewodros Bekele.
  • Addis Standard reports that senior regional officials of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s (SNNP) regional state held a meeting on 29 november to discuss the creation of a new region including Gurage zone. The inclusion has been repeatedly rejected by the Ethiopian federal government.

Regional Situation (per 02 December)

  • Agence de Presse Africaine reports that Ethiopia and Sudan have agreed to resolve border disputes over the border region al-Fashaqa and the GERD peacefully.
  • The agreement was reached after Ethiopia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Demeke Mekonnen and President of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council,  Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, met in Khartoum.
  • IGAD expressed its support for the lifting of the arms embargo currently imposed on Somalia.
  • Somalia’s government reports that it has killed 600 Al Shabaab fighters over the last 3 months, recapturing large areas. Al Shabaab continues to severely hamper the delivery of aid in drought stricken Somalia, says Voice of America.
  • Yasir Arman, Sudanese politician and a leading figure in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, stated that an agreement establishing a civilian government in Sudan will be signed within “72 hours”. The military is expected to be excluded from participation at all levels of government.
  • The signing parties will be the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), Sudanese Revolutionary Front, Popular Congress Party, Democratic Unionist Party, and professionals and civil society groups.
  • UNICEF reports that the drought situation has caused a 156% increase in child marriage in Somalia and 18% in Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region in Ethiopia.

International Situation (per 02 December)

  • During his visit to Ethiopia, the UN Secretary General praised the CoH Agreement, stating the UN would upscale aid to meet the “dramatic humanitarian needs.”
  • He also stated that “We need to make sure that we ensure robust African peace enforcement and counter-terrorist operations, mandated by the UN Security Council under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, and with stable and predictable funding through assessed contributions”.

Links of interest

Peace agreement ensures the survival and security of Tigray, Tigray regional President

TDF starts disengaging itself from front lines

Eritrean forces still killing Tigray civilians, report says

Ministry says HIV spread reduced nationally as MDs in Tigray report high prevalence

Anti-Corruption Committee announces major crackdown

Southern region discusses forming ‘Central Ethiopia Region’; plan includes restive Gurage zone

UNICEF Ethiopia Humanitarian Situation Report No. 10 – October 2022

Ethiopie/Soudan : vers une résolution pacifique des différends frontaliers

IGAD supports to lift arms embargo on Somalia

Somalia Says Around 40 al-Shabab Fighters Killed in Clashes

Sudanese parties, military component to sign framework agreement in 72 hours

Guterres Praises Ethiopia Cease-Fire

In Ethiopia, UN chief calls for peace in Africa

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