A senior Tigray official reported that Ethiopia launched air strikes and artillery bombardment in the northern Amhara region that borders Tigray, just days after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s inauguration (Bloomberg)
United Nations Rejects Ethiopian Claims of UN Partiality
Following the expulsion of seven UN officials from Ethiopia, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has demanded evidence from Ethiopia regarding allegations of misconduct (Al Jazeera)
United Nations Officials Depart Ethiopia Due to Safety Concerns
Following Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s announcement that Ethiopia would expel UN officials for “meddling” in Ethiopia’s internal affairs, seven aid workers departed the country to ensure their safety (Voice of America)
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Sworn in for Second Five-Year Term
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took the oath of office after winning parliamentary elections earlier this year in a controversial vote (Al Jazeera)
Ethiopia Expels Seven UN Officials as Famine Looms
The UN Security Council is holding an emergency meeting today to discuss Ethiopia’s announcement that it will expel seven top UN officials for “meddling” in the country’s affairs (Agence France-Presse)
Three Regions in Ethiopia Set to Vote in Delayed Election
Following delayed voting in June due to ballot and security concerns, three regions in Ethiopia will head to the polls this week to choose local and federal lawmakers, while a referendum country’s south will determine whether a new state is formed (Al Jazeera)
United States Threatens Sanctions Against Ethiopian Officials
The Biden administration warned Ethiopian leaders—including Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed—that the United States could impose sanctions if they do not take steps to end violence in the Tigray region (Associated Press)
President Biden signed an executive order today that authorizes broad sanctions should parties to the conflict fail to take steps to negotiate a cease-fire (CNN)
Tigray Fighters Accused of Killing 120 Civilians in Amhara Region of Ethiopia
Local Ethiopian officials reported that Tigray forces killed 120 civilians over the course of two days in the Amhara region (Reuters)
Separately, the Sudanese government announced that it had summoned Ethiopia’s ambassador to Khartoum, reporting that the bodies of twenty-nine Tigrayan people were found on the Sudanese side of the Setit River (U.S. News & World Report)
USAID: Rebels in Ethiopia’s Tigray Looting Aid Warehouses
Rebels in the Tigray region have looted aid warehouses and wrought destruction in villages they visited, causing “a great concern for humanitarians,” said an official from the U.S. Agency for International Development (Agence France-Presse)
Ethiopia Again Delays Elections
Elections in around one-fifth of the country’s constituencies were pushed back again, from September 6 to September 30. The elections were originally slated to be held in June but were postponed due to violence and logistical problems (Agence France-Presse)
Washington Sanctions Eritrean Commander Over Tigray Actions
The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Filipos Woldeyohannes, the chief of staff of the Eritrean Defense Forces, saying the forces were responsible for massacres, sexual assaults, and intentional shootings of civilians during the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region (Reuters)
U.S. Sends Diplomat to Ethiopia as Conflict Expands
The United States is sending its envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, to Ethiopia to press for an end to conflict that has spread beyond the Tigray region in recent weeks (Agence France-Presse)
Abiy Calls ‘All Capable Ethiopians’ to Fight Tigrayan Rebels
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called for “all capable Ethiopians” to join government forces in a conflict against rebels that began in the Tigray region but has recently spread to the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions (Washington Post)
Abiy’s appeal comes despite calls for de-escalation from the United States, the United Nations, and other governments and Abiy’s own declaration of a unilateral cease-fire less than two months ago (Agence France-Presse)
Ethiopia Suspends Work of Two Aid Groups Operating in Tigray
The Ethiopian government suspended the operations of Doctors Without Borders and the Norwegian Refugee Council on accusations of supporting Tigrayan rebels and “disseminating misinformation.” The suspension covers the entirety of Ethiopia (Associated Press)
Dozens of Bodies Found in River Near Ethiopia’s Tigray
Sudanese authorities discovered around fifty bodies floating in the river between Sudan and Ethiopia’s Tigray region, some with gunshot wounds or bound hands. The river flows through high-conflict areas of Tigray, where thousands have fled a nine-month conflict between federal and regional forces (Associated Press)
USAID’s Power to Visit Ethiopia Amid Conflict
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) head Samantha Power will visit Ethiopia next week to push for humanitarian access in the Tigray region amid reports of famine (Agence France-Presse)
UN Food Aid Runs Out in Ethiopia This Week
The executive director of the United Nations World Food Program said food aid to the conflict-afflicted Tigray region will run out this week and that aid convoys are struggling to move through the neighboring Afar region (Associated Press)
New Front Opens in Ethiopian War
The conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region has spilled into the neighboring region of Afar, displacing more than 54,000 people, officials said (BBC)
Afar is home to the main road and railway that run from Ethiopia’s landlocked capital of Addis Ababa to the port of neighboring Djibouti (Reuters)
Thousands of People From Tigray Being Detained Across Ethiopia
Thousands of people from the war-torn region of Tigray who now live in cities across Ethiopia are being detained, according to reports. Some have had their businesses closed by authorities. Police are accusing some detainees of having links to Tigrayan fighters, but human rights advocates say many of the accusations lack evidence and amount to racial profiling (Associated Press)
Party of Ethiopia’s Abiy Triumphs in Elections
Ethiopia’s electoral board ruled that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party won 410 of 436 contested parliamentary seats in June elections marked by insecurity and opposition boycotts. The results give Abiy another five-year term (Financial Times)
Doctors Without Borders to Suspend Work in Ethiopia’s Tigray
Medical aid group Doctors Without Borders announced it is suspending operations in part of Ethiopia’s war-torn Tigray region after three of its staff members were killed last month (Agence France-Presse)
Bridge Enabling Aid to Ethiopia’s Tigray Destroyed
A bridge serving as a vital food supply route to Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region has been destroyed, aid groups said. The cause of the destruction was not immediately clear, but it hampers aid to a region facing famine conditions (Associated Press)
Ethiopia Declares Cease-Fire in Tigray as Rebels Occupy Regional Capital
The Ethiopian government declared a cease-fire in its conflict with regional forces in Tigray as the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) said the regional capital, Mekelle, was under its “complete control” (Washington Post)
The cease-fire could bring respite to a region that has suffered a humanitarian crisis and large-scale atrocities since the federal government’s forces began a military campaign in Tigray eight months ago. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he spoke with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and was hopeful for “an effective cessation of hostilities.” The Tigrayan rebels, for their part, vowed to drive all opposing forces from the region (Guardian)
Although there was no immediate comment from Eritrea, which has sent troops to fight alongside the Ethiopian government, witnesses said that Eritrean forces withdrew from the Tigrayan town of Shire (Reuters)
Air Strike Kills Dozens in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region
An air strike hit a market in the village of Togoga in Ethiopia’s Tigray region yesterday, killing dozens of people. Health workers reported that soldiers denied access to medical teams trying to reach the scene (Associated Press)
Ethiopia Holds Controversial Elections Amid Conflict in Tigray
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed faces his first real test at the ballot today in national and regional elections that have been marred by conflict and drawn criticism from international observers (CNN)
Abiy, who was appointed the head of Ethiopia’s ruling coalition in a 2018 internal deal, says today’s elections are proof of the country’s democratic progress. At least one-fifth of parliamentary constituencies are not voting due to violence, logistical problems, or the conflict between federal and regional forces in the country’s northern Tigray region (Guardian)
The opposition Oromo Liberation Front is boycotting the vote (News24)