Assessing Six Months of Getachew Reda’s Administration
(by Dawit Kebede, TGHAT.com - Aug 31, 2023)
The Pretoria Agreement, signed on 2 November 2022, partially ending the two-year-long bloody war, holds two significant strategic advantages for the Tigrayans and friends of Tigray. But the Interim Regional Administration formed following the agreement has failed to deliver in most of the most important tasks.
Broken Promises: Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Before and After the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement in Tigray, Ethiopia
(Physicians for Human Rights Report - Aug 24, 2023)
Long after Ethiopia truce, sexual assaults by soldiers continue, report says
(Washington Post - Aug 24, 2023)
Almost a year after the agreement was signed ending Ethiopia’s horrific civil conflict in the northern Tigray region, sexual violence against women by Eritrean and Ethiopian forces persists, according to a report published Thursday.
Tigray, Ethiopia: Conflict-related Sexual Violence Widespread and Systematic Even After Truce
(Physicians for Human Rights - Aug 24, 2023)
304 medical records from Tigray show extensive conflict-related sexual violence, often by multiple perpetrators, violating Cessation of Hostilities Agreement
The Sexually Violated Women of Tigray Demand Justice
(Lucy Kassa - July 18, 2023)
In northern Ethiopia, recent victims of mass rape and other war crimes call on the international community to hold perpetrators to account.
U.S. Lifts Human Rights Violation Designation on Ethiopia
(FP - June 29, 2023)
The decision, despite evidence of ongoing abuses, clears the way to new economic aid...
The decision appears to contradict reports of continued human rights abuses and ethnic cleansing campaigns in the northern Tigray region of Ethiopia, potentially undermining the Biden administration’s pledge to elevate human rights to the top of its foreign-policy agenda.
A response to “The Pretoria Agreement: Mere cessation of hostilities or heralding a new era in Ethiopia?”
(ROAPE - June 15, 2023)
In a response to Fana Gebresenbet and Yonas Tariku’s recent Debate piece in ROAPE’s journal,
‘The Pretoria Agreement: Mere cessation of hostilities or heralding a new era in Ethiopia?’.
Mulugeta Gebrehiwot, Alex de Waal, Martin Plaut, Jan Nyssen, Mohamed Hassen, and Gebrekirstos Gebreselassie argue that the article reproduces the central narrative threads of the propaganda of the Federal Government of Ethiopia. This is, they argue, ‘false and potentially defamatory’.
Tigray: A Nation in Search of Statehood?
(Assefa Fiseha - May 5, 2023)
A devastating war broke out between the federal government and Tigray regional state of Ethiopia in November 2020. What is its cause and how does it affect the dynamics in Tigray and in Ethiopia in general? The article demonstrates using clear indicators that an authoritarian centrist elite and its policy that came to power in 2018 pursued a very centralised decision making, removing regional state heads and imposed new polices that violate self-government and autonomy of states...
‘They just left the corpses lying there’: survivors speak about the horrors of a massacre in northern Tigray
(The Guardian Apr 20, 2023)
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appointed Getachew Reda, the spokesman of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which led the northern region into war with the federal government in late 2020, as the head of the interim administration.
Ethiopia establishes Tigray interim administration as part of peace plan
(Reuters Mar 23, 2023)
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appointed Getachew Reda, the spokesman of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which led the northern region into war with the federal government in late 2020, as the head of the interim administration.
Ethiopia scraps bid to end UN-ordered Tigray abuses probe early
(Reuters Mar 23, 2023)
US: War crimes on all sides in Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict
(AP. Mar 20, 2023)
Members of the Ethiopian, Eritrean and Amhara forces also committed crimes against humanity, “including murder,
rape and other forms of sexual violence, and persecution,” Blinken said. “Members of the Amhara forces also committed
the crime against humanity of deportation or forcible transfer and committed ethnic cleansing in western Tigray.”
“I condemn the unspeakable violence against civilians and destruction that occurred in northern Ethiopia,” he said.
TPLF cannot be allowed to monopolize Tigray’s interim government
(Ethiopia Insight. Mar 06, 2023 BY Emnet Negash, Getachew Gebrekiros Temare, Gebrehiwot Hadush Abera)
Tigray’s precarious transition: On the establishment of an Interim Regional Administration
(By Kjetil Tronvoll & Mehari Taddele Maru. Mar 09, 2023)
In Ethiopia's Tigray war, rape is used as a weapon
(by Mariel Müller, DW.com, Mar 17, 2023)
Ethiopia Is Not Ready for Transitional Justice
(Mar 14, 2023. By Seifudein Adem, a professor of global studies at Doshisha University, and Abadir M. Ibrahim, the associate director of the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School.)
In Tigray, evidence of a massacre by Eritrean soldiers
(by Mariel Müller, DW.com, Mar 13, 2023)
General Tsadkan criticizes the committee to establish an interim government lacks legitimate representation, suggests a quick fix.
(Feb 22, 2023)
"Therefore, this process of forming the transitional administration should allow and enable the broadest participation of all Tigrayans (under the current circumstances) and deliver an acceptable and agreeable administration to work and coordinate with all our partners and allies in the effort to entrench peace and ensure reconstruction.
The key attributes that should define the formation process should therefore be transparent, all-inclusive, democratic, and effective, while acceptability, agility and competence should define the outcome. Every element of the process should be inclusive of the key stakeholders, and every representative should be democratically elected, while the whole process should remain transparent, optimal and effective."
Statement in Support of an International Investigation of Abiy Ahmed s Crimes in Ethiopia
Since the outbreak of the war in the region of Tigray in November 2020, Ethiopia’s government, under the orders of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, has committed egregious crimes against its own citizens including widespread human rights abuses, looting, ethnic-based atrocities, rape, and other forms of gender-based violence. The fact pattern strongly suggests that, among other crimes, the Ethiopian government forces may have committed genocide against the people of Tigray.
Lemkin Institute, Feb 3, 2023)
Humanitarian Priorities for Tigray, Ethiopia, after the Cessation of Hostilities
(Mulugeta Gebrehiwot and Alex de Waal, World Peace Foundation, Jan 2023)
Former U.S. diplomat draws attention to the Tigray War in Ethiopia during lecture
There is a war that has featured attacks on hospitals, war crimes, the torture of civilians and rape as a weapon of war. This war shares similarities to the invasion of Ukraine but has been far deadlier.
(The Times Delphic, 2022-12-09)
Eritrean forces still killing Tigray civilians, report says
Eritrean troops have continued killing dozens of civilians in Ethiopia’s Tigray region and committing other abuses weeks after the two main warring parties signed a peace deal, according to an official document seen by The Associated Press.
(Reuters, 2022-12-02)
Human Rights Abuses in Tigray Need Global Action
We cannot be misled by the recent peace agreement into thinking that our work here is over. Two years out from the Axum massacre, and the very same Eritrean forces that committed atrocities in Tigray are still present and wreaking havoc in the region. There is no peace. There will never be peace until Eritrea is out of the region, until Ethiopia stops bombing civilians, and until there is justice and accountability for Tigray.
(Newsweek, 2022-12-07)
Report: Guards Massacred 83 Tigrayan Prisoners at Camp in Southern Ethiopia
A published report says Ethiopian guards and villagers massacred 83 Tigrayan prisoners at a camp in southern Ethiopia last November in what the report calls the deadliest killing of imprisoned soldiers since the Tigray war started more than two years ago.
(VOA, 2022-12-05)
Ethiopian guards massacred scores of Tigrayan prisoners, witnesses say
The deadliest killings occurred at the Mirab Abaya prison camp, where current and retired Tigrayan soldiers were detained
(Wash. Post, 2022-12-04)
Ethiopia: Survivors of sexual violence deserve justice and accountability
On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the beginning of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, Amnesty International is reiterating its call to mediators in the ongoing peace process on Ethiopia to prioritize justice for survivors, including survivors of sexual violence in the two-year conflict.
"The African Union must pressure the Ethiopian government to ensure justice for victims and survivors of violations especially sexual violence"
(Amnesty,2022-11-24)
Don’t Let Abiy Ahmed Become The Next Saddam Hussein.
The war was both tragic and unnecessary, rooted in a slaughter planned by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and Eritrean dictator Isaias Afwerki in order to punish Tigrayans collectively for political defiance and grievances rooted in the pre-Abiy era.
(ByMichael Rubin,2022-11-23)
Facing famine, Tigray concedes to Ethiopian government, and Abiy
Two agreements ending the fighting were signed but uncertainties — including aid deliveries and Eritrea’s intentions — remain.
Starvation works. At the end of the day, famine decided the outcome of the Ethiopian civil war. Two years after the outbreak of hostilities, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki forced the Tigrayan leadership to forsake their political claims and instead negotiate to save their people from famine.
(Alex de Waal,2022-11-16)
Biden Must Ensure Ethiopia Does Not Return to War
The Ethiopian government placed Tigray under siege during the war, and experts from the United Nations concluded that it may amount to the war crime of weaponizing starvation.
(Dr Comfort Ero, NYT, 2022-11-10)
Will Justice Follow Peace in Ethiopia?
(US-HMM, 2022-11-09)
Ethiopian Rebels Have Little to Show for Two Years of Civil War
The suffering the war has caused for the Tigrayan people may have forced the TPLF to accept “capitulation as the best outcome,” said Kjetill Tronvoll, a professor at the Oslo New University College and an expert on Ethiopian politics. The cease-fire “reads more as an agreement of capitulation, than as a joint compromise peace agreement,” he said.
“Through the present peace deal, the TPLF leadership has secured its own survival, but Tigray as a region has precious little else to show for two years of devastating conflict,” he said.
(Bloomberg, 2022-11-07)
Ethiopia: Thousands killed and millions displaced since one of the 'deadliest conflicts in the world' began two years ago.
(Amnesty, Press releases, 2022-11-02)
Ethiopia: Truce Needs Robust Rights Monitoring
Two Years of Conflict Highlights Importance of Justice to End Atrocities
(HRW, 2022-11-04)
Ethiopia peace deal leaves unanswered questions and concerns
(AFP, 2022-11-04)
Ethiopia civil war: Tigray truce a triumph for PM Abiy Ahmed
(BBC, by Alex de Waal, 2022-11-03)
After Ethiopia Truce, UN Urges Reparations For Victims
(Barrons, 2022-11-03)
Biden Must Prepare for the Worst in Ethiopia.
If last-ditch peace talks don’t succeed, the US should brace for a humanitarian disaster.
(Bloomberg, 2022-10-26)
Heightened Risk Of Genocide Against Tigrayans In Ethiopia
(Forbes, 2022-10-26)
Turkish drones are destroying Ethiopia’s promise of peace
(ASPI, 2022-10-25)
Museum Warns of Heightened Risk of Genocide, Mass Atrocities in Ethiopia
"The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is deeply concerned about further crimes against humanity and a heightened risk of genocide in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. The situation has deteriorated exponentially as Ethiopian security forces, supported by Eritrean forces and Amhara special forces, have seized key towns and cities imperiling vulnerable Tigrayan civilians. "
(US Holocaust Museum, 2022-10-25)
Will the US use its leverage now to end the killing in Ethiopia?
"Face-to-face talks begin in South Africa today, while Abiy may have pushed the limits, lobbying China and Russia to his side."
(Alex de Waal, 2022-10-24)
Ethiopia: Fears of fresh atrocities loom in Tigray as conflict intensifies
"Tigrayan civilians are afraid that the widespread abuses, such as killings and sexual violence, might happen again"
(Amnesty, 2022-10-24)
The Guardian view on the world’s forgotten conflict: Ethiopia’s devastating war
(The Guardian, 2022-10-23)
Official document describes scale of abuses in Ethiopia war
(AP, 2022-10-21)
A Call to Action: Averting Atrocities in Ethiopia’s Tigray War
(Crisis Group, 2022-10-20)
Team Biden Balks on Africa Sanctions: As U.S. President Joe Biden ramps up sanctions on Russia, suspected war criminals in Africa escape unscathed.
(FP, 2022-10-20)
Ethiopia's Tigray conflict: Nasa shows how a war zone faded from space
(BBC, 2022-10-20)
The Threat of Humanitarian Crisis Grows as Ethiopia Ramps Up Tigray War
"Western diplomatic failure looms large in the world’s forgotten catastrophe"
(FP, 2022-10-19)
HRW calls for sanctions on Ethiopia to protect civilians
(France24, 2022-10-19)
After Secret U.S. Talks Fail, a Hidden War in Africa Rapidly Escalates
Tigray is the world’s unseen war, a sprawling conflict hidden behind a punishing government siege that has severed communications in the region, locked out reporters and left 5.2 million people in urgent need of food aid. United Nations investigators have called it a war crime.
(Declam Walsh, The NewYork Times, 2022-10-08)
Eritrean Army along with ENDF has launched a full-scale War on multiple fronts from Tekeze to Irob: Tigrai Central Command
(TigraiTV, 2022-09-20)
Totalitarianism Is Still With Us
The case of Eritrea shows that totalitarian systems are inherently toxic, and that no amount of “engagement” will change them.
(The Atlantic, 2022-09-05)
Ethiopie : un massacre ordinaire - ARTE Reportage
"A year and a half ago, one of the soldiers filmed the crime while encouraging it. A few months later he was arrested by the opposing camp, which documented the horror of the war crimes of his brothers in arms in the Ethiopian Army.
In Mekele, the capital of Tigray, we met “Fafi”, the amateur videographer. He recognizes the war crimes and reconsiders his state of mind at the time. Two of his brothers in arms from the 25th brigade also testify to the circumstances of the tragedy. In the prison where they are, these young soldiers rub shoulders with 6,000 other prisoners of war.
How do you recognize an ethnic massacre? We returned to Mahere Dego where the tragedy took place and met the brother of two victims."
(arte.tv Video)
I exposed the Axum massacre, and faced the consequences
(Ethiopian Insight, 2022-09-03)
Ethiopian officials admit using a Biafra-like siege to starve Tigray
(Jan Nyssen, Eth. Insight, 2022-08-11)
Has the Ethiopian army been routed as the Tigrayan military drives southwards?
(Martin Plaut, 2022-08-29)
Resignation is the honorable and right thing for President Obasanjo to do
(Dr Mehari T Maru, Addis Standard, 2022-08-28)
African Union at 20: Ethiopian–Tigray crisis remains a blemish
"In addition to this intentional or unintentional neglect by the African Union, other segments of the continent, including the academic community and mass media, are also culpable."
(PremiumTimes, 2022-08-27)
Ethiopia forces accused of deadly attack as Tigray war escalates
"Witnesses say a kindergarten in the Tigrayan capital Mekelle was hit by an air strike and four civilians were killed, but the federal government denies the reports."
(Aljazeera, 2022-08-26)
Ethiopia's Tigray war: Tedros Ghebreyesus unable to send money to 'starving' family
(BBC, 2022-08-26)
Air strike hits capital of Ethiopia's Tigray region
(Reuters, 2022-08-26)
Christian Nationalism Is Tearing Ethiopia Apart
(Foreign Policy, 2022-06-18)
SPECIAL REPORT-In Ethiopia's civil war, thousands of jailed Tigrayans endured squalor and disease
(Reuters, 2022-06-17)
Ethiopia’s Invisible Ethnic Cleansing
The World Can’t Afford to Ignore Tigray
(Foreign Affairs, 2022-06-02)
Eritrean troops shell town in north Ethiopia - U.N. (Reuters 2022-05-31)
Ehiopian government’s Tigray siege leading to starvation, suicide, exodus
(2022-05-20 Eth-Insight)
Gebre Maryam saw his wife begging in Mekelle’s streets. When she got home that afternoon, her husband had hanged himself. Gebre Maryam committed suicide because of the soul-destroying misery and ignominy.
The Anatomy of Ethiopia’s Civil War
(Current History, Kjetil Tronvoll, May 2022)
"Tigray is seen by many as the cradle of Ethiopian civilization. It is the site of the ancient Aksum kingdom, the predecessor state of what would become modern Ethiopia. Tigray thus has always been at the core of the evolving Ethiopian polity."
“We Will Erase You from This Land”
Crimes Against Humanity and Ethnic Cleansing in Ethiopia’s Western Tigray Zone
(Human Rights Watch Report 2022-04-06)
Ethiopia’s multinational federalism ruins Isaias’ assimilationist (2022-04-19 Eth-Insight)
Building on Ethiopia’s Fragile Truce (Crisis Group)
Hospital in Ethiopia’s Tigray struggles to treat patients (Reuters)
Starving Tigray by Destroying the agricultural Extension System (GNN)
Ethnic cleansing campaign in Western Tigray documented in new probe
(The Globe & Mail 2022-04-06)
Ethiopian authorities moving bodies from Western Tigray following failure to block UN fund for the investigation
(Global News Net 2022-04-04)
"Authorities in Ethiopia are rushing to move bodies from Western Tigray following Ethiopia’s inability to block funds for the investigation at the UN."
Mulugeta Gebrehiwot on the Narrative of the War and the Future of Tigray (Tghat 2022-04-04)
Editors note: On 3 March 2022, the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa organized an event titled “Finding a pathway to peace and dialogue in Ethiopia“. Mulugeta participated in it by sending a recorded video from Mekelle. He talked about the war preparation, Tigray’s defense, the defeat and the comeback, and the future of Tigray. We present the transcription of his speech below.
The World Must Condemn Human Rights Abuses in Tigray as It Does in Ukraine (G. Reda 2022-03-23)
"International solidarity with Kyiv in the face of Russian aggression is admirable. Tigrayans brutalized by Ethiopia and Eritrea deserve the same."
The record shows there is genocide in Tigray
(Girmay M., Ethiopia Insight)
‘Trying to survive’: millions in Tigray face hunger as they wait in vain for aid (Guardian 2022-03-23)
"With aid unable to reach the war-torn Ethiopian region for months, hundreds of thousands are in ‘famine-like conditions’"
The World’s Deadliest War Isn’t in Ukraine, But in Ethiopia (Bloomberg 2022-03-22)
"Outsiders’ attempts to mediate the conflict have failed so far, but there is more the Biden administration could do to bring a halt to the atrocities."
Understanding a 21st Century Genocide: The Case of Tigray (Tighat 2022-03-21)
“Cruelty and hate beyond measure,” His Holiness Abune Mathias Speaks on Tigrayans Being Burned Alive (Tighat.com)
Senator Menndez: Ethiopian officials have committed genocide in Tigray and I strongly urge the Biden Administration to make its own assessment as soon as possible.
“I continue to assert that Ethiopian officials have committed genocide in Tigray and I strongly urge the administration to make its own assessment as soon as possible.”
Tigray: The deliberate destruction of a health system (Global Health 2022-03-18)
“The health systems in Tigray are in a state of collapse. They have been pummeled with attacks, looting, and a de facto blockade of medicine and fuel.”
‘Finish Them Off’: Aid Workers, Found on Battlefield, Executed by Ethiopian Soldiers (NYT 2022-03-22)
Three employees of Doctors Without Borders set out to rescue the wounded in a war zone in northern Ethiopia. Their fate shows the treacherous path for many aid workers in conflict zones.
WHO Chief: World's worst health crisis is in Ethiopia (abcNews.com)
“As much of the world’s attention is focused on the bloodshed in Ukraine, the head of the World Health Organization saya there is ”nowhere on earth where the health of millions of people is more under threat" than Ethiopia's Tigray region”
Ethiopian forces burned Tigrayan man alive - rights body (AFP 2022-03-12)
Ethiopian Security Forces Burn Tigrayans alive, talk about Cannibalism (Tighat.com)
“A shocking video emerged on social media on 11th March 2022 showing Amharic-speaking Ethiopian security forces in uniforms burning Tigrayans alive, mocking them, and talking about how delicious their roasted flesh would be with injera or bread.”
Sacrificing Tigray
(Dr Alemseged Abbay, AigaNews)
There Is a Path to Peace in Tigray: Ethiopia can end its civil war by upholding its constitution (by Dr Mehari Taddele Maru)
“The EPRDF became viscerally hostile to accountability and the rule of law. While short on popular legitimacy, the EPRDF’s Ethiopian developmental state relied on its delivery capability to recoup political support. Democracy was relegated to a secondary order of importance and often even lower than that. The delivery of social goods brought about stability and impressive economic performance; however, it failed to serve as a substitute for constitutional democracy.”
In Tigray, we are demanding food and medicine, not bombs (Dr Hagos Godefay)
“Gross violations of human rights, the destruction and withholding of basic services such as telecommunication and banking, the blockade on all forms of humanitarian assistance, and the deliberate and systematic attack on health facilities have been significant features of the 15-monthslong conflict in Tigray. A far less reported on but no less gruesome aspect has been the continued and deliberate targeting of civilians using unmanned aerial systems.”
New report highlights Tigray atrocities, Ethiopia could face famine (National Catholic Reporter)
Mekelle: a city under siege (by Dr Mulugeta G Berhe)
“Beautiful Mekelle is limping under siege. It is already more than six months since it fell under a complete siege. No telecommunication and internet services, no banking and related services and businesses, no electricity, no commercial flights in and out, no land communication outside Tigrai as it is 360 degrees encircled by hostile forces. ”
Leaked Ethiopian Foreign Ministry document proposes talks to end Tigray conflict (Eritrea Hub)
“The leaked document says that the Ethiopian government should talk to TPLF from a position of strength; Without dialogue,
the conflict will go on with serious economic repercussions. The document mentions the US desire to remove Eritrean ruler
Isaias Afwerki from power. Eritrea is already under sanctions from the US and EU.”
To achieve peace, take Eritrea out of the game (By Debretsion Gebremichael: Leader of Tigray's government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front. 2022-01-20)
"As international human rights advocates and various institutions have amply documented, the Eritrean military has
committed some of the most horrific violations of the laws of armed conflict, such as the brutalisation of civilians, the deliberate destruction
of civilian installations, the plundering of private and public wealth, and the use of sexual violence as a tool of war.
... Abiy enunciates lofty ideals that, if sincerely committed to, could help us end the current conflict through dialogue. But he may find it
difficult to wean himself off the fateful alliance with the expansionist Amhara elites and that of the Eritrean dictator. As long as he
remains hostage to these forces, he will have little room to manoeuvre and exercise a degree of policy autonomy required to take a bold
step towards peace. Accordingly, breaking up this unholy alliance is necessary, if not sufficient, to give peace a chance."
Ethiopia PM must end Tigray conflict, Nobel committee says Reuters 2022-01-14
'Hell' created by Tigray blockade, 'insult' to humanity': WHO (Dr Tedros Adhanom, WHO chief 2022-01-12)
""Nowhere in the world are we witnessing hell like in Tigray," World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,
himself from Tigray, told reporters.
A de facto blockade preventing medicines and other life-saving supplies reaching Ethiopia's Tigray has created "hell" in the war-ravaged region, and is "an insult to our humanity""
She was in Abiy Ahmed’s cabinet as war broke out. Now she wants to set the record straight [Filsan Abdi] (2021-12-30 WashingtonPost)
Today I didn’t commit suicide, and that’s enough. (by Alem Berhe, Tighat.com 2022-01-12)
"At its base, genocide is not even about the atrocities; it’s about the intent of destroying a certain nation or group. In Tigray, this is not just visible in the ‘usual’ forms of killing: massacres, bombings, shelling, or house-to-house shootings. It’s the willful gratification of the processes of killing which keep me up at night. It’s not just that you got raped, you are raped with the imposition that it’s, after all, to your benefit;"
Tsadkan Gebre-Tensae: Pertinent Issues on the War in Tigray (theElephant 2021-12-26)
"The aims of the leadership of Tigray in the war in Ethiopia are, first, to save the people of Tigray from a genocidal onslaught
including forced starvation and, second, to establish an all-inclusive government for Ethiopia as a whole. There is no intention to install a government
in Addis Ababa led by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Instead, we want the people of Tigray to govern themselves within a multi-national federal system...
Although the starvation of our people is not on your television screens, it is real. Every day, children and their mothers are perishing of hunger. Our people are dying needlessly from treatable diseases because our hospitals have no medicine. Abiy made it perfectly clear that he intended to crush the sprite of resistance to subjugation in Tigray through a starvation siege."
Ethiopia to lose access to lucrative US trade program following CNN investigation (2021-12-24 CNN)
The White House will eject Ethiopia from a trade program between sub-Saharan African countries and the United States over human rights violations, according to a statement Thursday.
Ethiopia was found to be in violation of section 506a of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the statement added.
U.S. concerned over Turkey's drone sales to conflict-hit Ethiopia (2021-12-22 Reuters)
Ethiopia: UN Commission is a Victory for the Cause of Justice and Accountability (THe AfricannReport 2021-12-21)
"The resolution passed by the UN Human Rights Council establishing an International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia on 17 December will go a long way towards securing justice for the victims of the genocidal war on Tigray by holding the perpetrators accountable.
It is often said that justice delayed is justice denied. Nevertheless, in this particular case, the adage “better late than never” more aptly captures the significance of this resolution."
Tsadkan Gebre-Tensae: The Tigray general who came in from the cold (france24, by 2021-12-10)
"Sidelined after a decade leading Ethiopia's army, General Tsadkan Gebre-Tensae did not expect to don his uniform after retirement. But when war erupted in Tigray, the renowned military strategist was back, ready to fight the army he had once commanded...
Under Tsadkan's leadership, the TPLF recruited and trained new combatants en masse while also welcoming Tigrayan troops who lost their jobs following a purge of the national army."
Ethiopia: New wave of atrocities in Western Tigray (Amnesty 2021-12-16)
"Amhara security forces are responsible for a surge of mass detentions, killings and forced expulsions of ethnic Tigrayans in the Western Tigray territory of northern Ethiopia, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today.
Tigrayan civilians attempting to escape the new wave of violence have been attacked and killed. Scores in detention face life-threatening conditions including torture, starvation, and denial of medical care.
“The new onslaught of abuses by Amhara forces against Tigrayan civilians remaining in several towns in Western Tigray should ring alarm bells,” said Joanne Mariner, Amnesty International’s Director of Crisis Response."
The Nobel Peace Prize That Paved the Way for War (NYT 2021-12-15)
"This is the story behind how Ethiopia’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, won a Nobel Prize for making peace with his country’s longtime enemy — and then used the alliance to plan a war.
Secret meetings with a dictator. Clandestine troop movements. Months of quiet preparation for a war that was supposed to be swift and bloodless."
Time for Action on Ethiopia (CSIS 2021-12-15)
"The humanitarian situation in Tigray is catastrophic and will get worse as conflict and violence intensify. A humanitarian blockade continues to prevent more than 90 percent of critical assistance from reaching Tigray and conflict-affected areas of Amhara. Ongoing armed violence by all parties to the conflict is driving millions from their homes. Civilian property and infrastructure has been stolen or destroyed, with attacks on civilian infrastructure continuing. Humanitarian assistance is denied, looted, and used as a weapon by all parties, though principally by the government. Communications networks have been cut, fuel deliveries have been stopped, and cash is inaccessible, adding insult to significant injury. To appreciate the scale of suffering in Tigray, experts from Ghent University project “a minimum of 425 hunger deaths per day, and a ‘conservative maximum’ of 1,201 per day.”
… the International Atrocity Prevention Working Group, to which the United States is a founding member, should pool resources and publicize genocide determinations. Not to do so would be to offer tacit report for genocide."
Massacres, Rape, Siege: Why Israel Must Stop Its UAE Ally Aiding Ethiopia’s Atrocities (by Alex de Waal, HAARETZ 2021-12-15)
"The UAE is running a huge airlift arming an Ethiopian regime committing mass atrocities in Tigray. That inhumane adventurism is a strategic problem for Israel, too
Genocide scholars are sounding the alarm over Ethiopia, where the UAE is arming the government. Emirati-supplied weapons are encouraging Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to go all out for a military solution, which risks mass ethnically-targeted violence."
Ethiopia war: Kenya issues advisory (The East African 2021-12-14)
EU’s Borrell criticizes countries over reaction to Ethiopia conflict (POLITICO 2021-12-13)
18 WFP Aid Trucks Commandeered in Northern Ethiopia (VOA 2021-12-13)
Ethiopia is tearing itself apart (by Alexander Rondos, Chatham House 2021-12-03)
Blinken says Ethiopia conflict risks implosion of country (2021-12-03 CNN)
Twitter Suspends Ethiopian, Eritrean Accounts For violent messages and #NoMore Protests (2021-11-30)
Briton released from death row accused of inciting genocide in Ethiopia (2021-11-28 the Telegraph)
The warning signs are there for genocide in Ethiopia – the world must act to prevent it (2021-11-26 the Guardian)
UAE air bridge provides military support to Ethiopian government (2021-11-25 Aljazeera)
U.S. Officials Move to Save Repressive Ethiopian Leader from Rebel Advance (2021-11-18 the Progressive)
Who triggered the Tigray War on 3 November 2020? (By Professor Mirjam van Reisen, Klara Smits, Kibrom Berhe. Tilburg, 3 November 2021)
'You can't even cry loudly': Counting Ethiopia'''s war dead (2021-11-15 AP)
Once the great hope of Africa, Ethiopia is descending into chaos before our eyes (2021-11-15 the Telegraph)
Mass arbitrary arrests target Tigrayans, says UN rights office (2021-11-16 UN)
Ethiopia: Salvaging a failing state (2021-11-10 by Alex de Waal)
‘They just vanished’: Tigrayans disappear for months in secret Ethiopian detention camps (2021-11-08)
Ethiopia’s detentions of Tigrayans snare US, UK citizens (2021-11-10 AP)
Ethiopia Seizes Dozens of U.N. Workers as Civil War Spreads and Famine Looms (2021-11-10 NYT)
Ethiopian authorities detain more than 70 U.N. drivers, amid reports of mass arrests (2021-11-10 Reuters)
UN calls for Ethiopian gov't to release detained staff and drivers (2021-11-10 Aljazeera, Video)
Young mother and elderly priest among Tigrayans arrested in Addis Ababa (2021-11-08 CNN)
Mass arrests of Tigrayans sow fear in Ethiopia (2021-11-07 Mail & Guardian)
Ethiopia's war closes in on the capital as all sides balk at calls for a ceasefire (2021-11-08 CBS)
Includes a good video coverage
Ethiopia braces for all-out war as rebels advance on capital (2021-11-08 CNBC)
Rebels are closing in on Ethiopia's capital. Its collapse could bring regional chaos (2021-11-07 NPR)
'No more negotiation': Ethiopians denounce U.S. at rally (2021-11-07 Reuters)
YouTube Video
Ethiopia appears to be detaining people 'based on ethnicity,' human rights commission warns (2021-11-08 CNN)
Biden’s diplomacy push meets its match as Ethiopia unravels (2021-11-06 Politico)
Ethiopia crisis deepens as nine groups form anti-government alliance (CNN)
Eight Groups Join Tigray Rebels Vowing to Oust Ethiopia’s Leader (NYT)
Ethiopia compares Tigray forces to ‘rat’ as war marks 1 year (AP)
Ethiopia's war one year on: How to end the suffering (BBC)
After ending Ethiopia's trade status, US weighs sanctions, genocide designation over Tigray war (ABC)
“Drain the Sea”: The Genocidal Call Broadcast by ESAT (Tighat)
Ethiopian Hate-speech worthy of the Rwandan genocide carried by Facebook (Eritrean Hub)
“The war is with your closest enemy who is sitting in Ethiopian cities collecting information and spending money to your killers.”
Ethiopia’s strategic town of Dessie ‘captured’ by rebel forces (Aljazeera)
The UNSC Should Not Repeat Its Yemen Errors in Ethiopia (by Dr Mulugeta Gebrehiwot Berhe)
Locusts threaten to compound hunger crisis in Ethiopia's Tigray region
New airstrikes hit capital of Ethiopia’s Tigray region (AP)
Renewed Ethiopia air raids on capital of embattled Tigray region
(Aljazeera)
Air strike hits capital of Ethiopia's Tigray for third time this week
(Reuters)
#MekelleUnderAttack - Day II
Ethiopian military airstrikes hit Tigray capital (PBS)
Ethiopian military airstrikes hit Tigray capital
(AP)
Air strikes target capital of Ethiopia’s Tigray; 3 civilians dead
(Aljazeera)
#MekelleUnderAttack
‘God have mercy’: Tigray residents describe life under siege (AP)
"As food and the means to buy it dwindled in a city under siege, the young mother felt she could do no more. She killed herself, unable to feed her children.
...We see babies dying. I saw myself people eating leaves like goats."
Ethiopia/Tigray: A ‘balanced’ approach to Abiy’s medieval war makes a mockery of justice
(by By Debretsion Gebremichael, Leader of Tigray's government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front)
"The Tigray government and people should not face international sanctions for trying to avoid annihilation.
The international response to the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments’ genocidal war on Tigray has been woefully inadequate.
But what is also perplexing about the international response has to do with the reflexive tendency to apportion blame for
ongoing hostilities not on the basis of objective facts but on the need to appear evenhanded."
Ethiopia Launches New Offensive on Tigray Rebels as Famine Looms (The New York Times)
“I don’t think this will be a protracted fight — a matter of days, most probably weeks.” General Tsadkan
Tigray forces say Ethiopia has launched a major offensive (AP)
Ethiopia used its flagship commercial airline to transport weapons during war in Tigray (Exclusive by Nima Elbagir, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Katie Polglase and Barbara Arvanitidis, CNN)
Biden Team Warns Ethiopia After CNN Report on Arms Smuggling (Bloomberg)
UAE Air Bridge Supports Ethiopian Military in Tigray War (Oryx)
How to Destroy a Country: Does Ethiopia Have a Future? Center for Global Dev., by Mark Lowcock - former U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs)
Feast and Famine in Ethiopia (ALEX DEWAAL)
The Rise of Fascism in Ethiopia (African Arguments)
What Tigray Portends: The Future Of Peace And Security in Africa (Sam Wilkins)
"Abiy recently called the conflict a case where “the weed is being removed from our country.” This genocidal language follows a ten-month campaign characterized by acts of ethnic cleansing, sexual violence, and man-made famine. Thus far, the conflict has killed an estimated 50,000 civilians and displaced approximately 2 million people, while at least 350,000 face famine conditions."
Will Ethiopia’s genocide be worse than Rwanda’s? (Washington Exminer)
"When Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, he was the toast of the town.
Today, he is among the world’s most dangerous men...
Ethiopia crisis a 'stain on our conscience,' U.N. says as thousands face starvation (CBS News)
"The lack of food will mean that people will start to die," the United Nations humanitarian chief said."
UN says Ethiopia has no legal right to expel 7 UN officials (AP)
'I Just Cry': Dying Of Hunger In Ethiopia's Blockaded Tigray Region (AP)
In Memoriam: Seyoum Mesfin, Ethiopian Peacemaker and Patriot (by ALEX DEWAAL)
‘Extreme Urgent Need’: Starvation Haunts Ethiopia’s Tigray (Washington Post)
Ethiopia Conflict: Outrage Over Damage to Tigray Mosque (Middle East Eye)
ጄ/ል ጻድቃን ከ17 አመት በኋላ ከሰራዊቱ ጋር ዳግም ተገናኙ
የአስተዳደር ወሰን እና የማንነት ኮሚሽን የክልሎች ስልጣን የሚጋፋና የፌደሬሽን ምክር ቤት ሃላፊነት የሚነጥቅ ነው ሲሉ የተፎካካሪ ፓርቲ ኣባላት ተናገሩ።
"የፍትሕ ሰቆቃ" ከሓቅ የራቀ ዶክመንተሪ መሆኑን በአዲስ አበባ ታራሚዎች የነበሩ ምስክርነታችው ሰጡ (DW TV)
Ethiopia’s war in Tigray shows no signs of abating, despite government’s victory claims. (The Washington Post)
‘Look after my babies': In Ethiopia, a Tigray family’s quest
(Archivs: AP, 2021-04-23)
Kidnappings, looting reported in Ethiopia’s Tigray region in weeks after truce
(PBS, 2022-11-27)
Kidnappings, looting reported in Ethiopia’s Tigray region in weeks after truce
Allies of Ethiopia’s federal military are looting property and carrying out mass detentions in Tigray, according to eyewitnesses and aid workers. The accounts raise fresh concern about alleged atrocities more than three weeks after the warring parties signed a truce that diplomats and others hoped would bring an end to suffering in the embattled region that’s home to more than 5 million people.
(PBS, 2022-11-22)
Warring parties have agreed to a truce in Ethiopia’s two-year civil war. Here’s what to know
Two years on, the fighting has left thousands dead, displaced more than 2 million people and given rise to a wave of atrocities, including massacres, sexual violence and the use of starvation as a weapon of war.
(CNN, 2022-11-02)
How Eritrea drove Ethiopia’s war in Tigray
All along the B30 highway – deep inside Tigray – Eritreans troops are under siege, fighting for their lives. The road links the western city of Shire, the sacred site of Axum and the historic town of Adwa, scene of the famous Ethiopian victory over the Italians in 1896. Today it has become the Highway from Hell, with beleaguered Eritrean and Ethiopian forces under constant attack from Tigrayan ambushes.
(Martin Plaut, 2022-11-02)
The Forgotten War: Why Two Sisters Created An Organization To Push For Change
(Forbes, 2022-10-26)
6 million people in Tigray are facing a healthcare crisis big enough to hasten a genocide
(QZ, 2022-10-25)
Pope appeals for end to fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray region
(Crux, 2022-10-24)
The biggest war today is not in Ukraine but Tigray, where WWI tactics are causing ‘unbelievable carnage’
(iNews, 2022-10-24)
The world’s worst war you aren’t watching is in Ethiopia
(Chicago Tribune, 2022-10-20)
Civilians in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region at Heightened Risk
(HRW, 2022-10-19)
Air strike on playground kills 7 in Ethiopia's Tigray region - hospital (Reuters, 2022-08-26)
Tigray Rebels Vow To Pursue Military Advance In Northern Ethiopia (Barrons, 2022-08-30)
Ethiopia rights body says video shows extrajudicial killings (Reuters, 2022-06-19)
A Portrait: Isaias Afwerki, The Man & The Dictator
(DIA Democracy in Africa, 2022-04-11)
Half a million may have died in Ethiopia conflict as all eyes remain on Ukraine (ASPI, 2022-04-06)
Rights groups accuse Ethiopian regional forces of ethnic cleansing in Tigray (Reuters, 2022-04-06)
A Spark in the Midst of Darkness: The experience of a psychotherapist treating survivors of sexual violence in Tigray (Dr Mulugeta Gebrehiwot Berhe, tufts.edu)
Ethiopia: Airstrike on Camp for Displaced Likely War Crime (HRW.org 2022-03-24)
Ethiopia declares immediate truce to allow aid into Tigray (Aljazeera 2022-03-24)
U.S. Focused on Delivery of Humanitarian Aid to Ethiopia's Tigray (Reuters 2022-03-23)
I Was 13 When I Fled War in Tigray. This Is What Conflict Has Done to My Home.
(2022-03-17 GlobalCitizen)
Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: What's stopping aid getting in? (BBC 2022-03-20)
Refugees From Other Wars Want to Know Why White Ukrainians Get VIP Treatment (2022-03-17 DailyBeast)
UN: Food aid in Ethiopia’s Tigray now at ‘all-time lowest’ (2022-01-20 News5)
Ethiopia Conflict Dynamics Shift as New U.S. Envoy Takes Over (CFR.org 2022-01-10 Aljazeera)
Aid workers in Sudan warn of crisis as Ethiopia war continues (2021-12-22 Aljazeera)
Ethiopian government rejects Tigrayan fighters' ceasefire call, dashing hopes of an end to the conflict (2021-12-21 GaroweCNN)
Terror in Tigray: The Ethiopian Refugee Crisis (VOA)
Somalia and Eritrea accused of deploying troops to Ethiopia (2021-12-19 Garowe Online)
Ethiopia in Yugoslavia’s footsteps (2021-12-19 Al Ahram)
Timeline: Ethiopia's brutal war (2021-12-18 Al Ahram)
U.N. rights forum agrees to investigate abuses in Ethiopia (2021-12-18 Reuters)
New wave of abuses alleged in Ethiopia's Tigray (2021-12-16 NBC)
The war in Ethiopia is 2021’s hidden conflict (2021-12-16 AP)
Ethiopia arrests Associated Press freelance journalist (2021-12-16 AP)
Ethiopia’s Crisis Shows No Sign of Abating The nation’s widening civil war has prompted a humanitarian disaster and allegations of genocide. (2021-12-16 nymag.com)
Angela Merkel’s most important legacy: her civility (2021-12-08 NewStatesman)
U.S. envoy to visit UAE, Turkey, Egypt to discuss Ethiopia conflict -State Dept (2021-12-09 CNN)
Blinken warns war-torn Ethiopia is on 'path to destruction,' calls on Abiy to step up to end conflict (2021-11-19 CNN)
Ethiopia’s civil war: how the country is on the brink of ‘irreversible state collapse’ (2021-11-19 The Week)
Mass Detentions of Civilians Fan ‘Climate of Fear’ in Ethiopia (2021-11-17 NYT)
On Nov. 2, the government declared a state of emergency, and the resulting roundups have swept up anyone of Tigrayan descent, many of whom had no ties to the rebels or even affinity for them.
They were not just young men and women, but also mothers with children and the elderly,
according to human rights advocates and interviews with nearly a dozen family members and friends of detainees. They have been seized off the streets, in their homes and even in workplaces
Scores of children killed by starvation in Tigray (2021-11-16 the Guardian)
There’s a brutal conflict in Ethiopia. My family there ask: why does no one hear us? by Magdalene Abraha (2021-11-17 the Guardian)
Ethiopia conflict threat to wider regional security: Blinken (2021-11-17 Aljazeera)
Can the African Union solve Ethiopia’s year-long conflict? (2021-11-16 Aljazeera)
Tigray forces may seize Djibouti corridor- ICG expert warns (2021-11-15 AfricaNews)
Ethiopia Is Spiraling, and There’s One Man’s Mistake Behind It (2021-11-12 by Awol Allo, NYT Guest Opinion)
US sanctions Eritrean army, ruling party over Ethiopia conflict (2021-11-12, Aljazeera)
Ethiopia's Capital Under Threat:Ethiopian rebels edge closer to Addis Ababa, as fears grow over all-out war (CNN)
Diplomats work to avert attack on Ethiopia's capital as forces from Tigray advance (NBC)
US embassy in Ethiopia allows voluntary departure of some staff (Aljazeera)
Rebels threaten Ethiopian capital as UN slams atrocities committed in Tigray conflict (CNN)
"A senior diplomatic source in Ethiopia told CNN on Wednesday that fighters from the TDF and the OLA were on the outskirts of the capital.
...the rebels had the firepower to be inside the city within hours, if they chose to be, but would prefer to wait for an agreement to be put in place."
Ethiopia Declares State of Emergency as Rebels Advance Toward Capital (New York Times)
Ethiopia announces state of emergency as Tigrayan forces gain ground (CNN)
Ethiopia declares nationwide state of emergency (Aljazeera -video)
Ethiopia accused of limiting rare UN probe on Tigray abuses (Aljazeera)
Objectivity concerns over UN’s report on Tigray civil war (The Guardian)
Ethiopia tried to limit rare UN report on Tigray war abuses (AP)
Addis Ababa asks residents to prepare to defend Ethiopian capital (Aljazeera)
Abiy’s offensive against Tigray collapses: Dreams of a ‘new Ethiopia’ arise (D.Maverick)
Abiy Ahmed: The First Nobel Laureate On Trial at the International Criminal Court? (The National Interest)
ካብ ወታደራዊ ኮማንድ ትግራይ ዝተወሃበ መግለፂ 10/28/2021
Airstrike in Ethiopia’s Tigray kills 10, including children (AP)
Ethiopia food crisis: Why does PM have a problem with wheat aid? (BBC)
Ethiopian textile industry at risk if U.S. suspends trade deal over Tigray war (Reuters)
Ethiopia used airlines to transport weapons during Tigray conflict (CNN)
Tigray crisis: How the West has fallen out with Ethiopia's PM (BBC)
Turkey expands armed drone sales to Ethiopia and Morocco - sources (Reuters)
Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: Ethiopian Army launches offensive on all fronts (BBC)
Why the U.S. should call the famine and violence in Tigray a genocide (The Washington Post, Mawi Asgedom)
Airstrikes against Tigrayan forces intensify in Ethiopia's Amhara region -TPLF spokesman (Reuters)
‘Finish us off’: Ethiopia’s Qemant say targeted in armed campaign (Aljazeera)
Ethiopia Committing Possible Genocide in Tigray | Rep Michael McCaul to CNN
How Ethiopian Airlines is fuelling the cruel global wildlife trade (World Animal Protection)
UN chief demands proof from Ethiopia after staff expulsion (Aljazeera)
Why Ethiopia wants to expel UN officials sounding the alarm on famine (GNN)
UN Secretary-General rebuffs Ethiopia's demand for senior UN officials to leave the country (CNN)
Ethiopia expels U.N. officials amid signs of famine in the Tigray region (Washington Post)
US takes Ethiopia’s adviser to task for hate speech
"US blasts ‘dangerous’ rhetoric by ally of Ethiopia PM"
We Can No Longer Deny the Atrocities in Ethiopia (Alex Duwaal)
"We know enough to have reasonable fear that a crime and a tragedy on a truly enormous scale is unfolding"
Massacre in the Mountains.
They thought they'd be safe at a church.
Then the soldiers arrived (CNN)
Eritrea’s Silent War (ALEX DEWAAL)
"Isseyas’s method has been to create brute facts on the ground and not to enter into any discussion.
His strategy is to outlast his enemies, and to make himself the indispensable center of an axis of
autocracy in the Horn and Red Sea."
Somalia’s Disassembled State (ALEX DEWAAL)
‘Thirty years after the overthrow of President Mohamed Siad Barre, Somalia is in a new interregnum. This time, most of the Somali political elite share a consensus on the next step—dialogue.’
Hunger deaths aren’t simply about famine or no famine (ALEX DEWAAL)
‘Focus on loss of life – and urgently trying to prevent it – rather than whether a famine has been declared.’
Refugees International Calls for Urgent Intervention in Ethiopia
"The humanitarian situation in Tigray is rapidly deteriorating, and the international community must urgently intervene."
Churches and mosques in Tigray 'vandalised and looted' in Ethiopian purge
UN Rushing to Relocate Ethiopian Refugees Away From Sudanese Border
Report: Images Show Latest 'Attack' on Ethiopia Refugee Camp
At least 5 dead in Sudan border attack as tensions with Ethiopia escalate
Ethiopia Conflict: Outrage Over Damage to Tigray Mosque (Martin Plaut)
The Secret War in Tigray (Ethiopian Insight)