Eight Groups Join Tigray Rebels Vowing to Oust Ethiopia's Leader The government calls the new coalition, announced in Washington, a "publicity stunt," as intermediaries try to negotiate a. [101], On 1 December 2019, Abiy merged the ethnic and region-based parties of the EPRDF (which had governed Ethiopia for 28 years) and several opposition parties into his new Prosperity Party. This essentially relates to the geostrategic advantage that, Why US meddling can never succeed in Ethiopia, To put it simply, the Biden administration is desperate. The Tigray rebels were due to disarm within 30 days of the accord but are yet to fully disband their fighting force. "[65] The fighting itself concentrated in the border area connecting Tigray, Amhara and Afar. ", "Ethiopia is fighting 'difficult and tiresome' guerrilla war in Tigray, says PM", "Ethiopia Launches New Offensive on Tigray Rebels as Famine Looms", "What happened in Aksum? He also claimed clashes were taking place near Weldiya and that fighting had resumed in Afar, within the Awra and Chifra districts near the Amhara border. [198][199], On 8 October 2021, the TPLF said that an intensive air campaign by the Ethiopian Air Force began against TDF positions in the North Wollo and North Gondar zones of the Amhara Region, mostly around the towns of Wegeltena, Wurgessa and Haro. [30], Many sources have accused the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments of engaging in crimes against humanity via ethnic cleansing of Tigrayans. Ethiopian military decimates Tigray fighters, Ethiopian forces have carried out aerial bombardment in Tigrays regional capital city of Mekelle for at least four days this week. After all, the Yemen war may end any time and it will make sense for the UAE to be in the good books of Addis Ababa as Ethiopia is located in close proximity to wartorn Yemen. [62] The TDF claimed they also linked up with the OLA. The rebels, known as the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), have dismissed allegations they have committed atrocities as "groundless" pro-government propaganda. for investment needs. People in the resource-rich North Kivu province have lived through . [356][366] As of 2 February 2021, 20,000 of the Eritrean refugees in Tigray, mostly from the Hitsats and Shimelba camps, remained unaccounted for, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Obamas legacy is painted as a rosy, revolutionary and absolutely utopic one by the American mainstream media. The comment came from Salih during a. By supporting the war on Tigray, it might be hoping to get the support of Abiy and Isaias for its internal centralization project. The frequent Emirati cargo flights to Ethiopia make it clear that the United Arab Emirates is not abandoning Ethiopia. An Ethiopian government delegation, including the prime minister's national security advisor Redwan Hussein and several ministers, visited Tigray's capital Mekele on December 26, marking a major. Fighting broke out in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region in November 2020 after the central government accused Tigrayan fighters of attacking a federal army base and sending forces to the region . Abiy has since folded the other three regional parties into his own national party, but the TPLF refused to join. [209], Wartime rape and sexual violence was also widespread, being perpetrated by virtually all sides. In early 2018, after severalyears of frequent anti-government protests from different ethnic groups had seriously damaged the legitimacy of the EPRDF government, Hailemariam stepped down. [179] The Ethiopian government claimed, on 30 June, that it could re-enter Mekelle in less than three weeks if it wanted to. [229] On 26 January, the Ethiopian council of ministers also proposed to end the state of emergency. [110][267] Still, negotiations continued onward, and on 2 November, Ethiopia and the TPLF announced that they had signed an agreement for a cessation of hostilities (made effective the next day on 3 November, marking the two-year anniversary of the war);[50] however, Eritrea and other warring parties were not involved in the agreement, leaving their status ambiguous. "[381], The media restrictions resulted in what has been described as an "information blackout. [164], On 9 January 2021, Ethiopian TV reported that 300 refugees in Hitsats camp were executed by the TPLF. UN partners reported continued looting of health facilities. Both sides blamed each other for initiating the fighting, and both also expressed frustration "for a lack of progress towards negotiations to end the 21-month conflict. So, what makes Ethiopia so important that the UAE too decided to defy the US and back Addis Ababa? [379] In November 2021 (during the 20212022 state of emergency), the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA) threatened to cancel the media licences of BBC News, Reuters, CNN and Associated Press, accusing the news organisations of having "consistently disseminated news that sowed seeds of animosity among people and compromised the sovereignty of the country." [173][174], On 22 June 2021, an Ethiopian military cargo plane was shot down over Samre, marking a turn of the war in the TDF's favor. [111] The terms of federal and regional lawmakers, as well as the executive branch, were then extended by federal parliament beyond the October 2020 constitutional mandates. the murder of saudi journalist and regime critic jamal khashoggi in the saudi consulate in turkey in october 2018, almost certainly at the orders of crown prince mohammed bin salman (mbs), caused an international uproar, and sharpened attention on the saudi role in the war in yemen, and on the impact of the war on civilians- including creating USAs own allies are not with him. [41], In December 2020, the UN estimated more than one million people had been internally displaced by the fighting. The State of Emergency Taskforce stated that the Tigrayan peacekeepers were returned to Ethiopia because of "infiltration of TPLF elements in various entities. [310] Tigrayans' houses were arbitrarily searched and Tigrayans' bank accounts suspended. Debretsion also requested the establishment of a no-fly zone over Tigray, as well as a weapons embargo against Ethiopia and Eritrea. Vishal Tiwari The Ethiopian army chief has accused the World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of supporting the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), Tigray state's dominant political party which is fighting the federal troops. The country is looking to industrialise. World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been accused of supporting Tigray rebels TPLF in Ethiopia. [226] However, in January 2022, the Ethiopian Air Force began launching a bombing campaign in the Tigray Region, killing 108 people, including at least 56 from an airstrike targeting an IDP camp in Dedebit. [176][177] Ethiopian soldiers, police and administrators were seen leaving, ahead of the occupation by the TDF. [120] Ethiopian elite units were transported to Gherghera base near Asmara, as part of an alleged pact between Prime Minister Abiy and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki to "strike out of existence the TPLF," according to former Eritrean Minister of Defence Mesfin Hagos. But activists are spreading the news", "From Basma to Ethiopia How C2FC is Using Lethal Journalism to Conduct Information Warfare and Lawfare against Ethiopia", "Ethiopia: Diaspora Community to Debunk Fake News Using Mainstream Media", "Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: Fact-checking misleading images", "These old images do not show recent protests in Ethiopia's Tigray region", "Facebook 'lets vigilantes in Ethiopia incite ethnic killing', "Facebook is under new scrutiny for it's [sic] role in Ethiopia's conflict", "Facebook knew it was being used to incite violence in Ethiopia. [307], Ethnic profiling against Tigrayans occurred during the Tigray War, with Ethiopians of Tigrayan ethnicity being put on indefinite leave from Ethiopian Airlines or refused permission to board,[308] prevented from overseas travel,[309] and an "order of identifying ethnic Tigrayans from all government agencies and NGOs" being used by federal police to request a list of ethnic Tigrayans from an office of the World Food Programme. Ethiopia: Tigray rebels have begun to surrender their heavy weapons. Ethiopia's military accused the World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday of supporting and trying to procure arms and diplomatic backing for Tigray state's . [362] One refugee interviewed by Reuters said that if they didn't leave when they did, they would have been killed by Amhara forces. [252], On 10 October, the TPLF claimed that Eritrea was escalating its offensive, sending more forces towards Rama, Tserona, and Zalambessa in the far north, with one aid worker saying it is the heaviest fighting since hostilities resumed. The Emiratis understand that they must prioritize their own interests over Bidens ambition of destabilizing Ethiopia and establishing a puppet regime in the East African nation. to solve its own power problems and also those of its neigbours. [82][83] A major humanitarian crisis has developed as a result of the war,[41] with famine becoming widespread. [49][50] The war was primarily fought in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia between the Ethiopian federal government and Eritrea on one side, and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) on the other. A number of reports have been made alleging that China, Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates were all providing military support for the Ethiopian government via the sale of weaponized drones. [188][189] Following the TDF's counter-attack on two districts of his region, the Amhara regional President, Agegnehu Teshager, called for the total mobilisation of all people of all ages who are armed in the region to fight against the Tigrayans. Shortly after hearing news of the TDF advance, the Ethiopian government declared an immediate unilateral ceasefire across the Tigray Region. The UAE is the biggest example of this defiance, and Ethiopia is the battlefield. [356][365] Later that same month, the UN reported that people in Tigray were fleeing Mekelle. [100] The TPLF condemned the peace initiatives, saying they were hastily made, had "fundamental flaws," and also claimed it was decided on without consulting long-time TPLF members. In Ethiopia, waving Russian flags has become a symbol of anger against the US meddling in the East African countrys internal affairs. Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Salih on Monday blamed Ethiopia's Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) rebels for provoking a "major war" in Tigray. [217][218][219][220] On 6 December, government forces claimed to have recaptured the strategic cities of Dessie and Kombolcha. The UAE hasnt revealed what the cargo flights carry, but it is believed that they are being used to transport military equipment to Ethiopia. and never miss an insightful take by the TFIGlobal team, This website uses cookies. [209] Meanwhile, it was reported that a new roundup of ethnic Tigrayans had occurred in Addis Ababa. [71][157][158][159] The Eritrean government stated that it was angered by Amnesty International's report on the massacre, calling it "transparently unprofessional" and "politically motivated" and accusing Amnesty of fabricating evidence. [182] A TDF offensive starting on 12 July resulted in Tigrayan forces capturing southern Tigray, including the towns of Alamata and Korem. The fighters havemanaged to recruitalliesand areapproaching the capital, Addis Ababa. [30] After a number of peace and mediation proposals in the intervening years, Ethiopia and the Tigrayan rebel forces agreed to a cessation of hostilities on 2 November, which went into effect the day after;[50] Eritrea was not a party to the agreement, however, and their status has remained unclear. But government officials have not acknowledged a fresh offensive, which Tigray forces say began last week. 51 10 January 2021", "Refugees flee Ethiopia's brutal war with tales of atrocities on both sides", "Ethiopia: video of Tigray massacre lifts lid on 'war without photos', "Rape is being used as weapon of war in Ethiopia, say witnesses", "Ethiopia: Tigray on brink of humanitarian disaster, UN says", "Ethiopia: Status of western Tigray to be settled 'by law', "News: Despite data limitation from Tigray, Ministry estimates $1.4 b needed to restore war damaged health facilities across Ethiopia", "Ethiopia's peace may depend on post-conflict plans for Tigray soldiers", "Rise and fall of Ethiopia's TPLF from rebels to rulers and back", "Ethiopia's Hailemariam Desalegn sworn in as prime minister", "Analysis | Why is Ethiopia in upheaval? But the East African nation is clearly maneuvering its relations between big powers like China and Russia. DW has confirmed that at least two officials of the interim administration were dismissed over comments on the presence of Eritrean troops in Tigray. Recently, in a speech made at the UN general assembly, President Biden mentioned the need for an African Union-led peace initiative regarding the conflict, a position long held by Ethiopia, but one the rebels disparaged, with their spokesman accusing the AU assigned chief mediator, Olusegun Obasanjo as being too close to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Rebels in Tigray said the government in Addis Ababa has launched a "large-scale offensive." . Sudan denied claims that it was involved in an armed group's attempt to attack the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the second accusation of its kind involving Sudan in the Ethiopian crisis. [346], By the summer of 2022, the government blockade of essential services to Tigray was still in place, and the humanitarian situation remained severe, with roughly 13 million people being in need of food aid. Currently, Ethiopia seems to be in a comfortable position. 3 UN guards and 23 aid workers killed[40] There was no immediate WHO comment on the allegation against Tedros, who is Ethiopian of Tigrayan ethnicity. Since the early 2000s, the Ethiopian economy has grown rapidly and has consistently clocked a GDP growth of over 10 percent. He called Tedros a 'criminal' and called for him to be removed. [298][299][300][301] According to the EU's special envoy to Ethiopia, Pekka Haavisto, senior members of the Ethiopian government called for "wip[ing] out" all Tigrayans for 100 years. A Sudanese soldier later claimed that Ethiopian forces had launched artillery attacks on them and intruded into the Jebel al-Teyyour area, located 7 kilometres inside Sudan. [315] There were "deeply distressing reports of sexual and gender-based violence, extrajudicial killings, [and the] widespread destruction and looting of public and private property by all parties" according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. "[380], On 20 May 2022, Ethiopian law enforcement began arresting journalists en masse, with 4,500 people in the Amhara Region alone being taken into custody. [201][202] General Tsadkan Gebretensae, member of the central command of the TDF said both sides had been preparing for the offensive for months, and predicted that battle would be "decisive. The TPLF, and Ethiopia is the battlefield three regional parties into his own national party, the... Have not acknowledged a fresh offensive, which Tigray forces say began last week say... Solve its own power problems and also those of its neigbours 381 ] the! Of the occupation by the TFIGlobal team, this website uses cookies his... 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