Peace negotiations (per 13 March)
– Leaders of opposition parties walked out on a meeting held by the Ministry of Justice in Ethiopia on transitional justice options, writes Addis Standard. Transitional justice is included in the Cessation of Hostilities (CoH) Agreement.
– The opposition parties find that priority should be given to the peace and national political dialogue process, and that the concept of transitional justice without national dialogue is worrying.
– There are rumours circulating that senior Eritrean officers have been told to get ready for a resumption of hostilities in Tigray.
– There are also indications that the Federal Ethiopian Government and TPLF met last weekend.
– Eritrea is reportedly training Amhara troops and deploying them in Addis Ababa in secret, says Oromia Media Network (OMN) citing an unnamed police officer in the city.
– According to OMN, Amhara troops trained in Eritrea have been entering Addis Ababa in civilian clothes.
Situation in Tigray (per 13 March)
– A funeral ceremony was carried out for 111 of the victims that were reportedly killed by Eritrean troops in October 2022. The funeral was organised by fellow citizens from Endaba Gerima subdistrict of the Central zone of Tigray.
– Relatives of the victims who spoke to Dimtsi Woyane are reported to have said that an entire family was among those killed and that this showed it was part of the “genocide” committed against Tigray.
Situation in Ethiopia (per 13 March)
– An emergency meeting of The National Disaster Risk Management Council of Ethiopia was convened to address the “severe drought” following the failure of five rainy seasons, according to Addis Standard. It was the first meeting of the Council in seven years.
– Demeke Mekonnen, Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, and Ethiopia’s Finance Minister Ahmed Shide were among the participants.
– Humanitarian response in the context of the drought is targeting about 13 million people in Southern, Southeastern, and Southwestern Ethiopia which are the most affected areas.
– Ethiopia and Japan signed grant agreements worth 1.3 billion Birr (25.4 million USD) to finance the construction of water supply facilities in Oromia and Amhara and the provision of fertilisers, according to the Ethiopian Press Agency.
– During the signing ceremony, Ethiopian Finance State Minister Semereta Sewasew said that the water supply facilities would contribute towards improving the livelihoods of the targeted communities, averting waterborne diseases, and decreasing the labour and time spent on fetching water.
Situation in Eritrea (per 13 March)
– President Isayas carried out a fourth interview in which he highlighted the potential of private investment and of contributions that the Eritrean diaspora should make.
– Critics have objected that all investments and contributions go directly into the private coffers of the PFDJ and that there is no public oversight on any financial transactions.
– President Isaias met with Mohamed Dagalo (Hemedti), Vice-President of Sudan’s governing Council, who arrived for a one-day visit to Asmara.
– Eritrean Minister of Information, Yemane Gebremeskel, tweeted that President Isaias reaffirmed to the delegation that the internal affairs of Sudan should be resolved by Sudanese people and not by third external parties.
– Hassan S. Mohamud, President of Somalia, has arrived to Eritrea for a two day visit to discuss bilateral issues with the Eritrean president, reports Minister of Information, Yemane Gebremeskel.
Regional Situation (per 13 March)
– Due to the worst drought in four decades, over 100.000 people from Somalia have fled to neighbouring Kenya, says AlJazeera. The refugees are taking refuge in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya.
– Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed travelled to South Sudan for a one-day working visit. He and his delegation were received by the President, Salva Kiir Mayardit, upon arrival in Juba.
– During the talks, PM Abiy assured the welcoming delegation that Ethiopia will support peace and stability efforts in South Sudan.
– Discussions are underway between Sudanese civilian and military parties to the framework agreement to end the political process and appoint a civilian prime minister, states a spokesperson for the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC).
International Situation (per 13 March)
– As the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, plans to visit Ethiopia this week, Amnesty International USA urged him to focus his discussion with PM Abiy Ahmed on human rights issues.
– Kate Hixon, Africa Advocacy Director at Amnesty International USA, asked the US to press the Ethiopian government to provide humanitarian actors and human rights monitors access across the country to ensure justice and accountability for crimes committed by all parties to the conflict.
ሰራዊት ኤርትራ ኣብ ወረዳ ዓድዋ ጣብያ እንዳባገሪማ ታሪኸ ይቕረ ዘይብሎ ግፍዒ ፈፂሙ እዩ ክብሉ ግዳያት ገሊፆም።
Ethiopia, Japan sign 1.3 bln. Birr grant agreement
የአማራ ሃይሎች በኤርትራ እየሰለጠኑ ወታደራዊ ስምሪት እየወሰዱ መሆኑ ተነገረ።(Oromo Media Network)
Highlights of Interview with President Isaias Afwerki; Part IV – on domestic issues
Twitter: Yemane G. Meskel on visit of Mohammed H. Dagalo, VP of Sudan’s governing Council
Twitter: Yemane G. Meskel on visit of Hassan S. Mohamud, Somali President
Somalia Drought: More than 100,000 people flee to Kenya
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed arrives in South Sudan
Sudan’s political, military leaders discuss appointment of civilian prime minister
Amnesty USA Urges Secretary Blinken To Center His Visit To Ethiopia On Human Rights
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