Peace negotiations (per 17 January)

  • Internal sources reported that today the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) peacefully entered the city of Adigrat, Eastern zone of Tigray. Pictures of ENDF in the city are also being shared in social media.
  • The Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) reportedly left the city a few days ago, added the sources.
  • The entry of ENDF follows the disengagement of TDF and its hand-over of heavy weapons.
  • Haphtom Berhe, a Tigrayan activist, said the ENDF will pass through the city and station in their pre-war camps towards areas bordering Eritrea.
  • It is not yet known whether Eritrean troops have withdrawn from areas close to Adigrat to inside Eritrea, said the internal sources.

Situation in Tigray (per 17 January)

  • The Ethiopian Ministry of Industry has deployed an expert team to Tigray to make preparations to resume industrial services in the region, reports Dimtsi Woyane.
  • The expert team is reportedly studying reconstruction needs of industries damaged by the conflict in the region.
  • The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that since mid-November 2022, 3,000 trucks carrying over 105,000 metric tons of food, health, shelter, water and other supplies had been dispatched into Tigray.
  • Four road corridors were used, according to Stephane Dujarric, the chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Food has been delivered to 3 million people in Tigray.
  • The spokesperson also said “However, some areas remain hard to reach, including some border areas in the north and areas off the main roads. Humanitarian needs remain extremely high in parts of Afar and Amhara that were impacted by the conflict.”

Situation in Ethiopia (per 17 January)

  • The Ethiopian Ministry of Health estimates that USD 1.4 billion will be needed to rebuild health institutions in conflict affected regions including in Tigray, Amhara, Oromia and Benishangul, says Ethiopian reporter.
  • Dr Lia Tadesse, Minister of Health, said that it will take up to three years to fully rebuild these damaged health institutions.
  • This afternoon (17 January), the Ethiopian parliament appointed Tewodros Mihret Debebe as president of the Federal Supreme court replacing Maaza Ashenafi who resigned today together with her deputy, Solomon Reda.
  • Reasons for the resignation are not revealed. The newly appointed president Tewodros Debebe is an assistant professor in the law school of Addis Ababa University according to Ethiopian Reporter.

Regional Situation (per 17 January)

  • The UNOCHA reported that the overall number of people in need of humanitarian assistance and protection in Somalia has increased from 5.9 million in 2021 to 7.8 million in 2022.
  • Somalia’s government-led forces have captured a strategic al-Shabaab location on the Indian Ocean, Harardhere and the nearby town of Galcad, the defence minister said on Monday, in what they say is one of their most significant victories since launching an offensive against the group last year.
  • According to Aljazeera, Somali government government forces and allies fully control the al-Shabaab ‘’stronghold’’ on the Indian Ocean.
  • Defence Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur spoke yesterday in a broadcast on state-owned television about the victory, adds Aljazeera.
  • Sudan Tribune reports that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) formed a joint protection force in Darfur with the Sudan Liberation Army and the Gathering of Sudan Liberation Forces (GSLF).
  • “We launched a special joint force to end insecurity and restore order in the Darfur region. It consists of 80 military vehicles (10 troops by vehicle) including the SLM-MM, the GSLF, and the RSF,” stated Ahmed Hussein Mustafa, military spokesman for the Sudan Liberation Army, in the Sudan Tribune.
  • The West Darfur Governor and leader of Sudan Liberation Movement Transitional Council (SLM-TC), Hadi Idris, stated he had no knowledge of the ‘protection force’.

International Situation (per 17 January)

  • France confirms that two agreements were signed to support reconstruction in Ethiopia when Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna visited Addis Ababa.
  • The first project will support electricity equipment.
  • The other project, co-funded with the EU, will support agricultural recovery in Amhara, Tigray and Afar.
  • At the World Economic Forum, WFP Executive Director David Beasley warns that the Horn of Africa has been facing “unprecedented climate impact.”
  • The Oromo Legacy Leadership & Advocacy Association (OLLAA), an Oromo advocacy group, calls on the UN and other investigatory bodies to investigate “crimes committed” in the Oromia region.
  • OLLAA said access must be given in order to conduct “independent, impartial, thorough, and credible, investigations on allegations of human rights violations” committed throughout Oromia by security forces, says Addis Standard citing the association’s annual report.

Links of interest

Twitter: Haphtom Berhe  

Preparations underway to resume industries in Tigray, Dimtsi Woyane

በጦርነቱ የተጎዱና የወደሙ የጤና ተቋማት መልሶ ለማቋቋም 1.4 ቢሊዮን ዶላር ያስፈልጋል ተባለ

አቶ ቴዎድሮስ ምህረት ደበበ ወ/ሮ መአዛ አሸናፊን ተክተው የጠቅላይ ፍርድ ቤት ፕሬዚደንት ሆነው ተሾሙ

Ethiopia: News – Leading Oromo Advocacy Group Says 2022 “Difficult Year”of Extreme Rights Violations in Oromia Region, Calls for Independent Prob Into Atrocities

Aid reaching Ethiopia’s Tigray, with adjacent regions in extreme need: UN

Somalia Humanitarian Fund Allocation Dashboard (As of 31 December 2022)

Somalia claims capture of key port town from al-Shabab

Darfur former rebel groups, RSF form special force

Signing of two agreements in support of reconstruction on the sidelines of Catherine Colonna’s visit to Addis Ababa (13 Jan. 2023)

Live updates | World Economic Forum gathering in Davos

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