Air Strikes on Ethiopia’s Tigray Region Kill Ten People
Drone attacks hit a residential neighborhood in Tigray’s capital of Mekelle, a hospital executive said. The strikes came after Tigrayan forces said they were open to cease-fire talks (Al Jazeera)
Ethiopia’s Tigrayan Rebels Say They’re Ready for Peace Talks
The fighters’ previous resistance to talks had prevented a proposed African Union–led peace process (AFP)
Ethiopia Tasks UN with Rebuilding Tigray Infrastructure
The Ethiopian government announced that it has tasked implementers from the United Nations to mobilize World Bank funding to rebuild Tigray infrastructure destroyed in the conflict between rebels and security forces (Agence France-Presse)
Ethiopian Prime Minister Accuses OLA Rebels of New Massacre
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed accused Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) rebels of a massacre in the Oromia state as its fighters retreated from an offensive by security forces; while one witness estimated three hundred killings, a communications blackout and restricted entry have obscured the veracity of official claims (Al Jazeera)
This comes as mass protests erupted in the northern Amhara region over the previous June 18 massacre and the government’s failure to address worsening ethnic violence (Al Jazeera)
More Than Two Hundred Massacred by Ethiopian Rebel Group, According to Witnesses
The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), a rebel group that has joined forces with the Tigrayan minority against the Ethiopian government, reportedly massacred more than two hundred members of the Amharic ethnic majority; while official reports and witness accounts affirm OLA responsibility, the group has denied being behind the attack (New York Times)
Thirty-Five Children in Ethiopia Die Amid Drought, Conflict
Thirty-five children have died amid drought and conflict in the Afar region in recent weeks, aid workers said; a government official has denied any deaths due to food shortages (Associated Press)
Largest Hospital in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region Suspends Services
After eighteen months of war, the hospital suspended regular operations due to power outages and lack of medicine (BBC)
More Than Four Thousand People Detained in Ethiopian State Amhara
Ethiopia carried out the arrests as part of a wider effort to exert control over Amhara state and its military, which had been aligned with Ethiopia in the country’s military offensive in Tigray (Bloomberg, Reuters)
High-profile General, Journalists, Militiamen, and Activists Arrested in Ethiopia
A prominent Ethiopian general who voiced criticism of the Ethiopian government was arrested amid the reported arrests of two militiamen, five journalists, and nine members of an opposition party (Reuters)
Meanwhile, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front announced they would release over four thousand prisoners of war (Al Jazeera)
World Bank Approves $300 Million Grant for Ethiopia Reconstruction
The grant will be spent on supporting conflict-affected communities in the regions of Afar, Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz, Oromia, and Tigray (Addis Standard)
Tigrayan Forces Reportedly Withdraw from Ethiopia’s Afar Region
According to a spokesperson for the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), all Tigrayan forces are completely withdrawing from Ethiopia’s Afar region (Reuters)
Main Hospital in Ethiopia’s Tigray Runs Out of Food
More than 240 patients have been sent home after Ayder Referral Hospital in the Tigrayan capital of Mekelle ran out of food, underscoring how little food aid has reached the region despite a recent truce (Reuters)
New Aid Convoy En Route to Tigray
According to the UN, a new aid convoy consisting of forty-seven trucks and three fuel tankers is headed to Tigray following the recent humanitarian truce (Agence France-Presse)
Rights Groups Accuse Ethiopian Forces of Ethnic Cleansing
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch accused officials, security forces, and paramilitaries from Ethiopia’s Amhara region of carrying out an ethnic-cleansing campaign in the neighboring Tigray region; they also accused federal forces of being complicit (Reuters)
Humanitarian Aid Enters Tigray
A humanitarian convoy carrying food aid entered Tigray-controlled territory for the first time since December 2021 (Associated Press)
Fighting in Ethiopia’s Afar Region Threatens Cease-Fire
Multiple diplomats and regional officials reported that fighting has continued in Ethiopia’s Afar region, even after the government unilaterally declared a cease-fire last week (Reuters)
Tigray Agrees to Respect Ethiopian Government’s Ceasefire
Tigrayan forces said they will respect the ceasefire proposed by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed as long as humanitarian assistance is delivered “within reasonable time” (Reuters)
Ethiopia Declares Immediate Truce, Allows Aid into Tigray
The Ethiopian government declared an immediate, unilateral truce in Tigray in an effort to facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance (Bloomberg)
UN: Human Rights Situation in Ethiopia Deteriorates
Michelle Bachelet, the UN human rights chief, said more than three hundred people have been killed by airstrikes and more than three hundred rapes had been reported in northern Ethiopia since November (Reuters)
Gunmen Kill Five Eritrean Refugees in Northeastern Ethiopia
At least five Eritrean refugees were killed during an attack on a refugee camp in Ethiopia’s northeastern Afar region during fighting between Tigrayan and Afar forces (Reuters)
Ethiopia Ends State of Emergency Early
Ethiopian lawmakers voted to end a six-month state of emergency after only three months as war in Tigray continues. Regional Tigray forces pulled back in December after a large-scale offensive by the government (Associated Press)
United Nations Chief Calls for Cessation of Hostilities in Ethiopia
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for parties to the conflict in Ethiopia to observe an Olympic Truce for the duration of the Winter Olympics (UN)
Nobel Committee Criticizes Ethiopia’s Abiy
The committee, which awarded Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, issued a rare statement that said Abiy “has a special responsibility to end the conflict” in the country (Associated Press)
Air Strike in Ethiopian Tigray Region Reportedly Kills Seventeen, Per Aid Workers
Aid workers reported that an air strike in Ethiopia’s Tigray region killed seventeen people yesterday (Reuters)
That same day, U.S. President Joe Biden raised concerns about air strikes and civilian casualties in Ethiopia’s conflict during a call with Ethiopian President Abiy Ahmed, the White House said (CNN)
Air Strike in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region Kills Fifty-Six People, Per Aid Workers
Two aid workers, along with a spokesperson from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), said that an air strike killed fifty-six people in Ethiopia’s Tigray region (Reuters)