Peace negotiations (per 16 January)

  • Despite the Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities (CoH) Agreement which stipulated the withdrawal of non-ENDF forces from Tigray, more Amhara forces are being sent to the region, according to Dimtsi Weyane. Truckloads of Amhara special forces and militias have been sent to Tigray violating the truce.
  • A Tigrayan humanitarian worker told The Globe that he witnessed Eritrean soldiers digging trenches around the Tigrayan town of Adigrat, showing the troops have no intention to leave.
  • The humanitarian worker added that Eritrean troops are active in 16 Tigrayan towns.
  • In The Globe, an Irob civil society organisation states that half of Irob is occupied by Eritrean forces who block humanitarian aid and access to markets.
  • Protestors gathered around the white House calling on US President Biden to immediately stop further suffering and “800 days of Tigray Genocide”, says Today News Africa.
  • The protesters accused Eritrean troops of continuing to kill thousands of Tigrayans.
  • The protesters called on Eritrean troops to leave Tigray based on the CoH Agreement signed on 2 November 2022.
  • Daily flights from Addis Abeba to Mekelle have increased from one to three per day; Ethiopian Airlines denies that there are age-restrictions imposed on the travellers.

Situation in Tigray (per 16 January)

  • Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, the AU mediator for the conflict in Northern Ethiopia, estimated that at least 600.000 people died in the two years of war since the end of 2020, reports Financial Times.
  • The Financial Times also cites an expert involved in the data collection by Ghent University, who says further research will be required to substantiate figures with more detail.
  • Joyce Karam, a senior news editor of Almonitor and an adjunct professor at George Washington University, states that the AU’s envoy figure of the 600,000 death toll in Tigray exceeds the death toll of some of the world’s largest wars in the last decades, but receives much less attention.
  • Getachew Aregawi, producer of a local magazine in Tigray, Wurayna, reported that on 14 January, Eritrean troops kidnapped 50 young Tigrayans around Adwa.
  • The victims were reportedly travelling to Adwa to go to the market from locations Gedba, Hinzat, Adi Yiakoro, Alagsa, Kola Geble, and Sera. The whereabouts of the arrested people is unknown.
  • According to an article published today on Ethiopia insight, the devastating war over the last two years has caused Tigrayans to reconsider their identity with Ethiopia.
  • Asmelash Yohannes Teklu, author of the article said ‘’the fundamental guarantees and protections that I expect from my country of birth have slowly eroded’’.
  • He also said ‘’practically speaking, foreign nationals, such as Eritreans, have more rights in Ethiopia than I do as a Tigrayan’’.
  • The Bureau of Health of Tigray region announced today that it started COVID-19 vaccination in 16 locations in Adigrat city of the Eastern zone of Tigray.

Situation in Ethiopia (per 16 January)

  • After a cabinet meeting on 14 January, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed relieved four ministers from their positions, according to Fana Broadcasting Corporation.
  • Ministers of transport (Dagmawit Moges), Agriculture (Oumer Hussein), Mining (Takelle Ouma) and cabinet affairs (Teferi Fikre) were relieved. The reasons were not disclosed.
  • A Chinese company left an industrial part in Ethiopia because of incurring costs caused by Ethiopia’s suspension from the Africa Growth Opportunity Act, reports Mereja.com citing Ethiopian reporter.
  • The China based firm Hop Lun, which was sending finished products to the US, has reportedly exited Bahir Dar Industrial Park causing job loss of around 1000 Ethiopian employees.
  • The US government has not indicated plans to reinstate Ethiopia’s AGOA privileges in 2023, according to Mereja.com.
  • Michael Koehler, Deputy DG of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), had a meeting with Ethiopia Foreign Affairs state Minister Tesfaye Yilma on 14 January.
  • They discussed access to the Tigray and critical needs for drought and conflict affected areas of Ethiopia.

Regional Situation (per 16 January)

  • Somali police reported that a roadside bombing killed eight people on 14 January in Buloburde city in central Somalia. al Shabaab has reportedly taken responsibility, according to AFP.

International Situation (per 16 January)

  • While in Addis, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna signed two financing deals with Ethiopia, according to Addis Standard. EUR 32 million of this amount is reserved for food security and electricity.
  • Eritrean human rights organisation Eritrea Focus has written a letter protesting the claim by UNICEF that sanctions on Eritrea have been detrimental to Eritrea’s economy.
  • Eritrea Focus states that sanctions on Eritrea by “UN and by individual nations have been carefully targeted and are not aimed at disrupting the Eritrean economy.”

Links of interest

Ethiopia Violates Truce By Sending More Amhara Forces Into Tigray

Covid vaccination starts in Tigray  Regional  Bureau of Health

Eritrean dictator emerges as Horn of Africa’s biggest winner after Ethiopian war

War in Tigray may have killed 600,000 people, peace mediator says

Twitter Joyce Karam

Tigrayan protesters tell Biden Ethiopia peace accord falling apart and immediate action needed to stop ‘800 days of Tigray genocide’

Eight dead in Somalia bombing claimed by Al-Shabaab: police

Ethiopia’s AGOA suspension forces Chinese firm to exit Bahir Dar Industrial Park: Report

Twitter Michael Koehler

የሚኒስትሮች ም/ቤት ዳግማዊት ሞገስ፣ ታከለ ኡማ፣ ኡመር ሁሴን እና ተፈሪ ፍቅሬን በክብር ሸኘ

Because of the war, many Tigrayans no longer identify with Ethiopia

News: France, Ethiopia sign two financial support agreements worth 42 million euro

An appeal to the Director of UNICEF: stop misleading the public about sanctions against the Eritrean government

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