Situation in Ethiopia (per 29 January)

  • Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, departed the positions on 26 January. This was announced at the Prosperity Party (PP) Central Committee meeting. 
  • Demeke is replaced by Temesgen Tiruneh, Director General of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS). Temesgen Tiruneh coordinated the response to the conflict in Amhara.
  • PM Abiy stated at the PP Central Committee meeting that the regions of Ethiopia have too much freedom and that there is a growing call for more centralisation. 
  • Fighting between the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) and Fano militia is reported in Lalibela, Amhara. It is reported that the opposing parties are fighting for control of the airport. 
  • Fighting was also reported in the Gondar area. 
  • New Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh reportedly declared that the government is ready for negotiations with Fano, but Fano reportedly declined. 
  • 12 officers were killed in an armed attack near Kore, Guji Zone, in the Oromia Region on 23 January. Ethiopian federal government authorities blamed the attack on Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) militants.

Situation in Sudan (per 29 January)

  • At least 52 people, including a UN Peacekeeper, were killed in the Abyei region, which is a disputed area between Sudan and South Sudan, on Saturday. The attacks on the Nyinkuac, Majbong and Khadian areas were reportedly committed by armed youth from the Nuer tribe, who were displaced by flooding.
  • Intense clashes took place between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum Bahri. It is reported that SAF captured strategic locations previously held by RSF, including the main RSF headquarters in the Kadru suburb.
  • More than 45,000 people were displaced from Babanusa in West Kordofan following the fighting between SAF and RSF. Shelling of the city has caused widespread destruction.
  • Several residential neighbourhoods were reportedly hit in an airstrike by SAF on the city of El Daein in the East Darfur State on Friday morning.

Situation in Eritrea (per 29 January)

  • 30 Christian adults and an unknown number of children were arrested in Asmara on 20 January, reports Open Doors. The group had gathered to celebrate a baby’s first birthday. 

Regional Situation (per 29 January)

  • Six training camps have been established in the Eritrean Gash-Barka region, which borders Sudan, states Radio Dabanga. The training camps reportedly host five armed groups from eastern Sudan and one from Darfur. 
  • The groups training in Eritrea reportedly include the Eastern Sudan Liberation Forces, the United Popular Front for Liberation and Justice, the Beja National Congress, the Beja Armed Congress, and the Sudan Liberation Movement faction led by Minni Minawi (SLM-MM).

International Situation (per 29 January)

  • The Italy-Africa Summit is taking place on 28 and 29 January. The Summit has drawn African leaders, top European Union and United Nations officials, and NGOs. 
  • Italian PM Giorgia Meloni is presenting the four-year “Mattei Plan” for cooperation, of which the aim is to address ‘root causes’ of migration through investment in development, infrastructure and energy. 
  • Meloni also hopes to achieve readmittance deals with countries to send back people whose asylum applications have been rejected.
  • Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki has travelled to Italy for the Summit. Eritrean diaspora organisations have protested his participation, citing the extensive human rights abuses in Eritrea committed by the Eritrean government. 
  • A parallel conference on migration is taking place in Benghazi, Libya. At this event, it is understood that the Pan-African Parliament will raise a strong statement in relation to an African approach to migration.
  • The Pan-African Parliament will reportedly raise the topic of enslavement, stating that millions of African youth have been targeted by human traffickers for ransom, and that Europe speaks about migration without addressing these criminal organisations.
  • The Pan-African Parliament will call for a stop to arrests and criminalisation of migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, and highlight the benefits of migration. It will call for working towards a borderless Africa.
  • The UN Security Council is holding a closed meeting today on the tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia following the signing of an MoU between Ethiopia and Somaliland. 
  • The meeting follows from the request of Somalia for an urgent meeting in a 23 January letter to the Council. The Council will be briefed by Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Horn of Africa Hanna Serwaa Tetteh.
  • Ethiopia opposed the meeting, arguing that the issue should be considered by the African Union’s Peace and Security Council. 
  • German Foreign Minister Baerbock presented a five-point plan for mediation in the Sudan conflict following her visit to the Horn of Africa. 
  • The points include strengthening coordination of international mediation for Sudan; support to civil society; putting an end to external support for the SAF and RSF; targeted sanctions; and highlighting the atrocities taking place in Sudan.
  • The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) awarded Ethiopian PM Abiy with the FAO Agricola Medal, due to his “extraordinary role in undertaking outstanding and successful efforts in advancing the cause of global food security, poverty alleviation and nutrition”.
  • Aid agencies warn that parts of Ethiopia, particularly the Tigray region, could be facing a famine as severe as the one that affected Ethiopia in the 1980s due to drought, lack of food aid and conflict.
  • The Operation Commander of the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) visited Somalia for three days to discuss maritime security in the region. 

Links of interest

Breaking: Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs departs

Ethiopia: Armed attack near Kore, Guji Zone, Oromia Region kills at least 12 officers Jan 23. Increased security likely

52 killed in clashes in the disputed oil-rich African region of Abyei, an official says

Sudanese army seizes control of strategic Khartoum Bahri Sites in fierce clashes

Over 45,000 people flee ruined West Kordofan’s city

Persecuted Christians arrested at baby’s first birthday party in Eritrea

Eritrea military training camps raise concerns about security in eastern Sudan

Italian PM reveals “Mattei Plan” for African development ahead of Italy-Africa Summit

Consultations on the Situation between Ethiopia and Somalia under the “Peace and Security in Africa” Agenda Item

News: UNSC to convene over Ethiopia-Somalia tension despite opposition from Ethiopia

Baerbock with five-point initiative for mediation in Sudan crisis

Bilateral meeting with His Excellency Abiy Ahmed Ali, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

Drought, conflict and politics leads to fear of famine in Ethiopia

European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) Operation Commander visit to Somalia

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