Peace negotiations (per 10 March)

  • The Ethiopian National Rehabilitation Commission organised a joint discussion on the process of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) and rehabilitation of former Tigray combatants in Mekelle.
  • Stakeholders present at the meeting included the National Rehabilitation Commission, the Ethiopian Ministry of Peace, representatives from the office of the Prime Minister, civic society organisations, members of the Ethiopian parliament, and the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce.
  • Ambassador Teshome Toga, Commissioner of the National Rehabilitation Commission, said the consultation meeting in Mekelle has been made possible due to the stability created after the Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities (CoH) Agreement, says Fana Broadcasting Corporation (FBC). 
  • The Commissioner said “the commission will sustainably reintegrate former combatants into the society and ensure their participation in peacebuilding, democracy and development”.
  • The Commissioner added that his institution will explore and use international experiences to effectively rehabilitate and integrate the former combatants.
  • Tigray Government spokesperson Getachew Reda is reported to have said that combatants will return to their professional careers in the sectors where they were employed before the war, added FBC.
  • Deputy  Commissioner of the National Rehabilitation Commission,  Dr Atinku Megebu, who was recently appointed from Tigray, said that the Commission is working to complete the demobilisation and rehabilitation in two years, according to Woyen.
  • US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Ethiopia next week to assess progress on the CoH Agreement.
  • Blinken will be in the capital of Addis Ababa on Wednesday and Thursday to hold talks with officials, civil society and humanitarian groups.
  • The US is considering lifting the restrictions on financial support to Ethiopia, states Foreign Policy. If confirmed this will most likely be announced during the visit of Blinken next week.
  • Global Society of Tigray Scholars & Professionals nominated 5 representatives from the broader public of scholars and professionals to join the Interim Administration of Tigray.

Situation in Tigray (per 10 March)

  • Residents of Alamata in the southern zone of Tigray are experiencing intimidation by Amhara Forces and are forced to publicly deny their Tigrayan identity, according to eyewitnesses on Tigrai TV.
  • The UN OCHA snapshot on Ethiopia states that 49% of targeted Tigrayan beneficiaries have received food assistance.
  • UN OCHA notes that “in some woredas in Tigray, partial family targeting is practised in order to assist more households with the limited resources at hand.”

Situation in Ethiopia (per 10  March)

  • The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it will continue building the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam although Egypt continues to protest against it.
  • Ethiopia’s comments are given in response to the speech of the Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry calling on Arab nations to intervene and help settling the dispute over the dam.
  • The statement of the Foreign Ministry states that the dispute must be resolved through the mediation of the African Union as the Nile river flows through many African countries.
  • Ethiopia finance minister Ahmed Shide stated that the Chinese Exim bank provided 622 million USD  to finalise 14 projects in Ethiopia. The report was published by FBC but was removed from their portal.
  • The Exim bank fund aims to finance a drinking water system in Mekelle, Hawaasa express road, the Diredawa train building, and other projects.

Regional Situation  (per 10 March)

  • Sudan’s Central Darfur state announced that its border with the Central African Republic (CAR)  is reopened to facilitate trade between the two countries, reports Sudan Tribune.
  • Deputy Chairman of the Sovereign Council and Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (Hemedti), announced in January this year the closure of the border with CAR for reasons related to attempts to overthrow the government in Bangui.
  • Almost 70 NGOs raised the alarm on the urgent need to provide support to address the drought crisis in Somalia.
  • The statement also called upon donors to provide humanitarian assistance in response to famine expected to reach its peak between April and June 2023.
  • An FAO report states that 67% of rural households in Somalia are in IPC phase 3 (stressed) or worse.
  • Ethiopia and Kenya agreed to jointly work to prevent security threats in their border area, according to the Ethiopian Press Agency.
  • An Ethiopian delegation led by state minister Ambassador Birtukan Ayano discussed the agreement with top Kenyan officials.

Links of interest

Rehabilitation Commission, Tigray officials hold first meeting in Mekelle on disarmament, national rehabilitation of Tigrayan forces

የቀድሞ ተዋጊዎች የመልሶ ማቋቋሚያ መርሐ ግብር ላይ የሚመክር ውይይት በመቀሌ እየተካሄደ ነው 

ዲሞቪላይዜሽንን ተሃድሶን ኣብ ውሽጢ ክልተ ዓመት ንምጥንቃቕ ይሰርሕ ከምዘሎ ኮሚሽን ብሄራዊ ተሃድሶ ኢትዮጵያ ኣፍሊጡ  

Secretary Blinken’s Travel to Ethiopia and Niger

U.S. Weighs Offering Economic Lifeline to Ethiopia Despite War Atrocities

Global Society of Tigray Scholars & Professionals

Twitter: Tigrai Television on a forced demonstration for disclaiming identity

Twitter: UNOCHA Ethiopia

African Union urged to step in and settle the Egypt-Ethiopia dam dispute

Sudan’s Central Darfur reopens border with Central African Republic

Joint statement: Open Letter to Donors; About 70 NGOs call upon donors to urgently fund Somalia’s drought crisis

Somalia: Data in Emergencies Monitoring (DIEM) brief – Round 5

Ethiopia and Kenya agreed to prevent security threats in their border area   Disclaimer: All information in this Situation Report is presented as a fluid update report, as to the best knowledge and understanding of the authors at the moment of publication. EEPA does not claim that the information is correct but verifies to the best of ability within the circumstances. Publication is weighed on the basis of interest to understand potential impacts of events (or perceptions of these) on the situation. Check all information against updates and other media. EEPA does not take responsibility for the use of the information or impact thereof. All information reported originates from third parties and the content of all reported and linked information remains the sole responsibility of these third parties. Report to info@eepa.be any additional