Today, the US may project Abiy Ahmed as some sort of a strongman but the fact remains that Ethiopians like him. But since June 2021, the Ethiopian army has endured continued setbacks and, Opinion: Ethiopia at risk of Balkanization, Ethiopia: War in Tigray continues as government stays silent, Tigrayan forces advance toward Ethiopian capital, Olaf Scholz at Davos: 2022 'challenged us as never before', World in 'sorry state' UN chief Guterres, Davos: Social entrepreneurs eye real change, Egyptian activists: We need to talk about abortion, Japan nuclear plant execs acquitted over Fukushima disaster, 'When you see antisemitism, act immediately'. [67][68][69][70] Mass extrajudicial killings of civilians have taken place throughout, including in Axum,[71] Bora,[72] Chenna,[73][74] Kobo,[75][76] the Hitsats refugee camp,[77] Humera,[78] Mai Kadra,[69][79] the Debre Abay monastery,[72][80] and Zalambessa. 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. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's national security adviser said the government had "accepted this invitation" while the leader of rebel-held . "Tigray has handed over its heavy weapons as part of its commitment to implementing the #Pretoria agreement" that was signed between Ethiopia's government and Tigrayan rebels, Tigray People's. [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. Tigrayan spokesperson Getachew Reda said its forces had seen no fighting in Afar and had redeployed to the adjoining Amhara Region. About 4.5 million people of are still in need of aid and about 1 million of that are not in accessible areas due to ongoing fighting. [130][131] During the subsequent days, skirmishes continued and the Ethiopian federal parliament declared the creation of an interim government for Tigray. AFP. The UAE reportedly uses a number of front companies for the delivery of weapons to a country in which it is not officially involved. [178] BBC News reporter Vivienne Nunis characterised the ceasefire as an attempt by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to save face, the government having little other option. The Ethiopian government declared the election void, leading to an outbreak of violence between the two sides. [183] The TDF subsequently crossed the Tekez River and advanced westward, capturing the town of Mai Tsebri in the Tselemti district, and prompting Amhara officials to call on its militias to arm themselves and mobilise. Image Credit: AFP. [33] In 1984-1985, the TPLF redirected Western aid intended for starving civilians in order to purchase weapons. 81 - 10 February 2021", "Ethiopian cities hit by rockets from Tigray forces", "Rockets fired from Ethiopia's Tigray hit Eritrean capital, diplomats say", "Ethiopia crisis: Tigray leader vows to keep fighting as government advances", "Ethiopia: Shire Town of Tigray Captured", "Ethiopian government says troops take two towns from Tigray fighters", "Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: PM gives Tigray forces 72 hours to surrender", "Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: Mekelle hospital struggling after attack Red Cross", "Fact check: Are other nations involved in the war in Tigray? Once Obamas deputy, President Biden wants to continue this legacy, this time in the horn of Africa. The intensity of the war has led to spillover effects on the surrounding countries in the region, especially in Sudan. So, despite US sanctions, the UAE feels the need to help and arm Ethiopian forces to take on the TPLF fighters. ", "Ethiopia's Civil War Is Heating Up Once Again", "Tigray rebels announce troop deployment in northern Ethiopia", "More than 50 killed in northern Ethiopia air strike -aid workers and Tigray forces", "Ethiopia's Tigray forces say Eritreans widen war offensive", "Eritreans hunted down as military call-up intensifies over Ethiopia's Tigray war", "Ethiopia's civil war: Inside Tigray's capital Mekelle", "Tigray faces a new onslaught by Eritrean-Ethiopian forces", "Ethiopia's Tigray conflict: Civilian bloodbath warning as offensive escalates", "Ethiopia says it will seize airports in rebel-held Tigray region", "Ethiopian soldiers take strategic city in Tigray amid civilian exodus", "Why the capture of Shire is so important for Ethiopia", "Ethiopian army captures several towns in war-torn Tigray", "Ethiopia takes Tigray town ahead of anticipated peace talks", "Ethiopia Steps up Offensive Against Tigray Rebels", "Witnesses allege Eritrean abuses during Ethiopia peace talks", "Peace talks aimed at ending Ethiopia's deadly Tigray conflict begin in South Africa", "News: Ethiopia cautions to weigh its options, consider relations with unnamed "states and entities" making "unsubstantiated and politically motivated" accusations", "Ethiopian rivals agree on humanitarian access for war-ravaged Tigray", "Etiopian poliisi palasi Tigrayhin rauhansopimuksen myt", "Tears, prayers as flights resume to Ethiopia's Tigray region", "News: Tigrayan officials say peace agreement aims to "rescue people of Tigray", accuse Eritrean forces of continued atrocities on civilians", "Kidnappings, looting cited in Ethiopia's Tigray after truce", "Looting, forced removals plague Ethiopia's Tigray despite truce, witnesses say", "Ethiopia Peace Process Undermined as Eritrean Forces Continue Attacking Civilians", "UN: Ethiopia's victory claim doesn't mean war is finished", "Factbox: The forces fighting in Ethiopia's Tigray conflict", "Analysis-Spillover from Tigray conflict adds to pressure on Sudan", "Tensions escalate as Sudanese forces gather near Ethiopian border", "EXCLUSIVE U.S. concerned over Turkey's drone sales to conflict-hit Ethiopia", "Tigray conflict: What do we know about drone strikes in Ethiopia? [166], Ultimately, the early gains made by the ENDF and EDF against Tigrayan forces did not lead to a decisive defeat of the re-organized and invigorated TDF. Some articles state that the war began on 4 November; A few EEPA articles begin with the following injunction: ", formally agreed to a cessation of hostilities, attacked the Northern Command headquarters, Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement, National Intelligence and Security Service, United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces, Tigrayan peace process Ceasefire period (March 2022August 2022), National Intelligence and Security Agency, War crimes in the Tigray War Crimes against humanity, Ethnic discrimination in Ethiopia Tigray War, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, "Ethiopia Will Explode if It Doesn't Move Beyond Ethnic-Based Politics", "Hate Speech on Facebook Is Pushing Ethiopia Dangerously Close to a Genocide", "Regional Special Forces Pose Threat to Peace and Security in Ethiopia", "Ethiopia's Tigray forces enter neighbouring Afar region, Afar says", "Ethiopia's Amhara state rallies residents to fight Tigrayans", "Three more regions reinforce Ethiopia army, Amhara against Tigray forces", "Ethiopia: Fear Tigray conflict could trigger all-out war", "Ethiopian PM confirms Eritrean troops entered Tigray during conflict", "Eritrea confirms its troops are fighting in Ethiopia's Tigray", "UAE air bridge provides military support to Ethiopia gov't", "Foreign Drones Tip the Balance in Ethiopia's Civil War", "Ethiopian prime minister in UAE as Tigray war rages on", "Ethiopian anti-government alliance says plans to dismantle government by force or negotiations", "Tigray, other groups form alliance against Ethiopia's leader", "Ethiopia armed group says it has alliance with Tigray forces", "Leaked EU Diplomatic Cable: Delegation of the European Union to Ethiopia", "The Sidama National Liberation Front to Join the Coalition of Resistance by the Federalist Forces", "Eight Groups Join Tigray Rebels Vowing to Oust Ethiopia's Leader", "An Afar-based armed group parts its ways with TPLF-led alliance", "Benishangul Gumuz regional govt, rebel group sign peace agreement", "African Union: Agreement reached on permanent cessation of hostilities in Ethiopia", "Combatants in Ethiopia's Tigray war agree to stop fighting", "Warring parties in Ethiopia agree on 'permanent cessation of hostilities', "Ethiopia combatants sign deal to start implementing truce", https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3983166/ethiopia-truce-implementation-start-%E2%80%98immediately%E2%80%99-mediator-says, "Ethiopia Rivals Agree on Humanitarian Access for Tigray", "Ethiopia's Tigray War: A Deadly, Dangerous Stalemate", "On 'Rooftop of Africa,' Ethiopia's Troops Hunt Fugitive Former Rulers", "Wieder Luftangriffe der Armee in Tigray", "Ethiopia civil war: Hyenas scavenge on corpses as Tigray forces retreat", "Ethiopia's Tigray conflict: Thousands reported killed in clashes", "After battlefield reversals, what next for Ethiopia's Tigray war? [11][279][280][281][282] As early as December 2020, there were unconfirmed rumors that Emirati drones were being stationed in the Eritrean port city of Assab. The report noted that before the war began, Somali forces under the leadership of the Eritrean Army had been stationed in trenches along the border. Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, congratulated Ethiopias Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who got re-elected to lead his country for another five-year term. 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. He would go on to rule the countryuntil his death in 2012, and was succeeded by Hailemariam Desalegn. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is the biggest symbol of Ethiopias growing ambitions. 64 23 January 2021", "Situation Report EEPA HORN No. Ethiopia: Tigray rebels have begun to surrender their heavy weapons. [310] Tigrayans' houses were arbitrarily searched and Tigrayans' bank accounts suspended. Tedros of trying to procure arms for the Tigray state's dominant political party in addition to . More than 136 cases of rape were reported in hospitals in Mekelle, Ayder, Adigrat and Wukro in eastern Tigray between December 2020 and January 2021, with indications that there are many more such unreported cases. Its humanitarian branch, the Relief Society of Tigray (REST), established in 1978, received large amounts of international humanitarian aid for famine victims and small-scale development projects in liberated Tigray. The Sudanese army regained control over more than 90 percent of its territory, including the al-Fashqa area, which was occupied by Ethiopia, prompting the latter to accuse it of exploiting the domestic situation to attack its lands. [370], The Ethiopian government tried to control the information environment by positioning itself as the sole provider of reliable information. The terms of the November 2 peace agreement include disarming rebel forces, restoring federal . "[56][57] However, the TPLF stated soon afterwards that it would continue fighting until the "invaders" were out,[58][59] and on 28 June 2021, the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) retook Mekelle; by July the same year, they had also advanced into the Amhara and Afar regions. But government officials have not acknowledged a fresh offensive, which Tigray forces say began last week. The group. [150] On 23 November, Ethiopian forces reached the regional capital of Mekelle and encircled it. On 20 December 2021, the TPLF announced they had withdrawn their troops from Amhara and Afar, saying they were hoping to create, as stated by TPLF chairman Debretsion Gebremichael, "a decisive opening for peace." They have also claimed the woredas (districts) of Welkait, Tegede, Kafta Humera, Tselemti, and Raya to be theirs. [53], On 28 and 29 November, witnesses and survivors, including refugees in Sudan, reported that the Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF) carried out the Axum massacre of about 720 to 800 civilians. [284], A small group of parents also protested in Mogadishu about what they said was the government's mismanagement of the issue. [162], In February 2021, the UN chief coordinator of humanitarian efforts Mark Lowcock said that up to 40% of Tigray was not controlled by Ethiopian troops. Ethiopia's military accused World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday of supporting and trying to procure arms and diplomatic backing for Tigray state's dominant . "[313][314] On 1 November 2021, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stated that "we should closely follow those who work for the enemy and live amongst us," as reports of a new roundup of ethnic Tigrayans came out of Addis Ababa. [citation needed] In Debretsion Gebremichaels order to withdraw all his forces from Tigray borders in December 2021, he mentioned "the drones provided by foreign powers" as a major factor that prompted his decision. Rebels surveyed the wreckage of a military plane downed by their forces south of Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia. [285] On 19 January 2021, the Somali government denied the claim that Somali troops had trained in Eritrea and then deployed in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia.