Ethiopian PM Abiy Appoints New Leader of Tigray Administration Amid Fears of Renewed Conflict
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appointed Tadesse Worede as the new head of the interim administration in the Tigray region, replacing Getachew Reda (Reuters)
Over 4.5 Million Students Out of School in Ethiopia’s Amhara Region Due to Conflict
More than 4.5 million students remain out of school in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, with over 3,600 schools closed, due to ongoing security challenges and conflicts between government forces and Fano militias (AllAfrica)
Ethiopian Army Reports Killing Over Three Hundred Fano Militiamen in Amhara Region
Ethiopia’s army announced that it had killed more than three hundred fighters from the Fano armed group during two days of clashes in the northern Amhara region, amid escalating tensions and fears of a broader regional conflict (Reuters).
Ethiopia Rules Out Conflict with Eritrea Over Red Sea Access
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stated that Ethiopia has no intention of engaging in conflict with Eritrea over access to the Red Sea, emphasizing a commitment to peaceful dialogue despite Eritrea’s concerns over Ethiopia’s maritime ambitions (Al Jazeera)
Eritrea Condemns Ethiopia’s Naval Aspirations, Warns of Regional Destabilization
Eritrea’s Foreign Minister Osman Saleh criticized Ethiopia’s pursuit of maritime access as “misguided and outdated,” rejected claims of Eritrean military activity in Tigray, and called on the international community to pressure Ethiopia to respect regional sovereignty amid growing fears of renewed war (Addis Standard)
Negotiations Ongoing Between Government and TPLF
Reports emerged that Tigray People’s Liberation Front officials had traveled to Addis Ababa over the weekend to participate in negotiations designed to de-escalate tensions in Tigray (The Africa Report)
Russia Pledges Support for Ethiopian Naval Rearmament
Russia confirmed it will support the rebuilding of Ethiopia’s navy following a visit by the deputy commander of the Russian Navy to Bishoftu, a further sign of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s commitment to gaining sea access for his country (Conflict Watcher)
Civilians Evacuate as Fears of Broader Regional War Mount
Civilians were said to be leaving Tigray en mass after an armed faction affiliated with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front announced it had taken control of the town hall and radio station in Mekelle, the region’s capital; Eritrean forces were reported to be mobilizing to the Ethiopian border, stoking fears of a broader regional war (AFP)
Meanwhile, a senior official in Ethiopia’s Tigray region pushed back against warnings of renewed conflict there, saying the country’s “federal government will not attempt to resolve the region’s challenges through force” (Addis Standard)
Ethiopia and Eritrea at High Risk for War as Tensions Rise in Tigray
Heightened conflict between the Ethiopia-backed administrative faction of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and its dissident faction could push already-souring Eritrea-Ethiopia relations to war (AP)
TPLF officials accused the dissidents, who seized a town in Tigray on Tuesday, of seeking an alliance with Eritrea, and a reignited conflict could turn Tigray into the primary battleground between Ethiopia and Eritrea, especially with Eritrean mobilization in February and Ethiopian military deployments to the Eritrean border in March (Reuters)
This development comes as the USAID freeze deprives those in Tigray’s refugee camps of essential humanitarian aid, and aid agencies that feed over one million people no longer have the funds to continue operations (AP)
Return to War Feared as Tigray Defense Forces Seize Control of Critical Towns
Forces aligned with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) took control of Adigrat, the second largest city in Tigray, and Ad-Gudam, a town near the regional capital of Mekelle, amid rising tensions between the region’s interim administrator, Getachew Reda, and the TPLF’s leader, Debretsion Gebremichael; the TPLF appointed new administrators for both towns, injuring several along the way and sparking renewed fears of a return to civil war (AfricaNews)
Ethiopian Government Distances Itself from Former President’s Accusations Against Eritrea
The Ethiopian government’s Ministry of Affairs communicated that former president Mulatu Teshome’s war-plotting accusations did not reflect its position (Ethiopia Observer)
Eritrea Calls on Veterans to Join Training Centers Amid Tensions With Ethiopia
The Eritrean government ordered men under sixty, including migrants living in Addis Ababa, to report to military training centers in Eritrea, as it considers closing its embassy in the Ethiopian capital; some veterans currently incarcerated for minor offenses have similarly been released to return to the military (MSN)
Over Twenty Missing After Clashes at Ethiopia-Kenya Border
Both countries stated they are collaborating to locate the missing individuals after violent clashes erupted between Kenya’s Turkana community and Ethiopia’s Dassanech community (ABC)
Former Ethiopian President Accuses Eritrea of Scheming to Reignite War
Former Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome accused Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki of “working to reignite conflict in northern Ethiopia” in a recently penned opinion piece; Teshome concluded by calling on the world to exert diplomatic pressure “against those who want to see an end to peace, like Isaias” (Africa Report)
Ethiopian Aid Group to Cease Operations Amid United States Foreign Aid Freeze
Ethiopia’s wing of Action Against Hunger expects to close its feeding centers due to a pause in U.S. foreign assistance, leaving over 400,000 refugees at increased risk of malnutrition (Reuters)
Ethiopian, Somali Leaders Meet in Apparent Thaw
The leaders of Ethiopia and Somalia agreed to restore full diplomatic representation in each other’s capitals, which had been restricted after a controversial deal between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland; Turkey mediated the rapprochement (Bloomberg)
Ethiopian, Somali Leaders Meet in Apparent Thaw
The leaders agreed to restore full diplomatic representation in each other’s capitals, which had been restricted after a controversial deal between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland; Turkey mediated the rapprochement (Bloomberg)
Ethiopia’s Defense Minister Visits Somalia After Turkey-Brokered Thaw
The two countries had been at odds for the past year over Ethiopia’s early 2024 deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland; but following Turkey-brokered talks, Somalia is considering reallowing Ethiopia to join a multinational security force that Addis Ababa had been a main contributor to for two decades, a senior Somali official said (Bloomberg)
Turkey Brokers Pledge Between Ethiopia, Somalia to Resolve Port Dispute
Ethiopia and Somalia will begin technical negotiations to resolve outstanding disputes by the end of February, according to a Turkey-issued declaration; the countries have been at odds over Ethiopia’s agreement with the breakaway region of Somaliland on a port access deal (Reuters)
Leaders of Ethiopia, Somalia Agree to Meet in Ankara for the First Time Since Controversial Port Deal Dispute
Ethiopian officials did not immediately confirm the meeting; the deal would allow Ethiopia to use a port in the breakaway territory of Somaliland, which Somalia does not recognize (VOA)
Reports of Kidnappings in Oromia by Oromo Liberation Army
Dozens of students in Ethiopia’s Oromia region were kidnapped and held for ransom in early July; family members of the abducted have accused the Oromo Liberation Army of using the kidnappings to raise funds for their cause, but the OLA has denied involvement (BBC)
UN Human Rights Chief Calls for Measures to End Rights Violations
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called on parties to the conflict in Ethiopia to take concrete steps to end human rights violations and abuses that threaten peace processes in the country (UN Human Rights)
New Report Suggests Ethiopia Committed Genocidal Acts in Tigray War
A new report from the U.S. think tank New Lines Institute claims there is sufficient evidence that Ethiopian and Eritrean forces committed genocidal acts against Tigrayans in the 2020–2022 civil war; the authors of the report called for Ethiopia to be brought before the International Court of Justice (Al Jazeera)
United Nations: More Than Fifty Thousand Civilians Displaced in Northern Ethiopia
A UN statement said that armed clashes in the disputed Ethiopian territory caused the number of displaced people to exceed fifty thousand since the weekend, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the country (AFP)
Ethiopia Aid Conference Raises More Than $600 Million
Ethiopia, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United Nations organized the aid conference in Geneva; more than twenty-one million people in Ethiopia are in need of humanitarian aid this year due to shocks from conflict and climate change, the United Nations said (Reuters)
The United States was the single biggest donor, announcing nearly $154 million in new assistance, though the pledges still fell short of the $1 billion the United Nations sought (USAID)