Global Conflict Tracker
← Back to Conflict

Latest News

Conflict in Ethiopia

Air Strike Kills Three Eritrean Refugees at Camp in Tigray

  • The United Nations did not say who conducted the strike in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, but only the Ethiopian government has air power in the area (Reuters)

U.S. Envoy for Horn of Africa Visits Ethiopia

  • U.S. envoy Jeffrey Feltman, who will step down from his post this month, is in Ethiopia today as part of efforts to mediate between the government and Tigrayan rebels [Reuters]

U.S. Cuts Trade Benefit for Ethiopia

  • The United States suspended Ethiopia from the duty-free African Growth and Opportunity Act trade program, citing human rights violations (Reuters)

Ethiopia Passes Law to Establish National Dialogue Commission

  • The move comes amid international pressure to negotiate an end to the fighting between federal forces and ethnic rebel groups, though the commission will not immediately enter talks with Tigrayan or Oromo rebels, according to reports (Associated Press)

Ethiopia Complains About U.S. Revocation of Trade Privilege

  • Ethiopia’s trade ministry said the country is unhappy with Washington’s decision last week to revoke duty-free access for its exports. Washington cited its disapproval of the ongoing war in the Tigray region (Associated Press)

Report: Tens of Thousands Have Fled Ethiopia Into Sudan

  • Ethiopia’s civil war has reportedly caused tens of thousands of people, many of them ethnic Tigrayans, to cross into neighboring Sudan (Al Jazeera)

Tigrayan Rebels Announce Withdrawal From Two Regions

  • The head of Tigrayan rebel forces announced the withdrawal from the Amhara and Afar regions in a letter to the United Nations, saying he hoped the move would provide “a decisive opening for peace” (Reuters)

Tigrayan Rebels Recapture Ethiopian Town

  • Tigrayan rebels reportedly recaptured the town of Lalibela, home to a UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site, less than two weeks after federal government forces said they seized it (Agence France-Presse)

Western Powers Condemn Arrests in Ethiopia

  • In a joint statement, the United States, Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom condemned Ethiopia’s “widespread arrests” of Tigrayans on the basis of ethnicity (State Department)

Ethiopian Government Forces Say They Recaptured World Heritage Site

  • Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office said the town of Lalibela, home to a UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site, was cleared of Tigrayan forces (Reuters)

Ethiopian Government Says It Retook Towns Captured by Tigrayan Forces

  • The news comes after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said last week that he would lead a counteroffensive against Tigrayan rebels from the battlefield. One of the recaptured towns was Shewa Robit, which the rebels said they had taken last week (Al Jazeera)

Ethiopia’s Abiy Says He Will Lead Army ‘From the Battlefront’

  • Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s announcement came as Tigrayan rebel groups advanced toward Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa (Al Jazeera)

Ethiopia Releases Some Detained UN Staffers

  • Authorities released six UN employees and more than seventy aid delivery drivers who had been detained amid the country’s state of emergency. Five UN staffers remain in custody, a UN spokesperson said (Associated Press)

UN: At Least One Thousand Arrested in Ethiopia During State of Emergency

  • The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said Ethiopian police have used provisions of the state of emergency declared on November 2 to detain at least one thousand people, most of them ethnic Tigrayans, in the last week or so (United Nations)

Ethiopian Authorities Detain UN Staffers

  • The United Nations said that Ethiopian authorities detained sixteen UN employees yesterday, while an Ethiopian government spokesperson attributed the arrest of the employees to their “participation in terror.” A humanitarian worker said all the detained UN employees are ethnic Tigrayans (Associated Press)

African Union Envoy and Tigrayan Official Discuss Crisis in Ethiopia

  • An envoy from the African Union held talks with a top Tigrayan official in an effort to achieve a cease-fire amid the Tigrayan rebels’ advance toward the Ethiopian capital (Bloomberg)

Ethiopia’s Tigrayan Forces Form Alliance With Other Opposition Groups

  • Groups opposing the Ethiopian government, including the Oromo Liberation Army, joined Tigrayan rebels in a formal alliance that is pushing for a negotiated political transition in the country as their forces move closer to the capital (Associated Press)

United States Allows Voluntary Departure of Staff From Embassy in Addis Ababa

  • The U.S. State Department authorized the voluntary departure of non-emergency government staff and family members as Tirayan rebel forces advance on the capital (Al Jazeera)

Report Details Possible War Crimes in Ethiopia as Country Declares State of Emergency

  • The United Nations and Ethiopian government-appointed investigators released a report yesterday that said all parties to the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region have committed violations that could amount to war crimes (Reuters)
  • Meanwhile, Ethiopia has declared a state of emergency and called on citizens to arm themselves and defend the capital against an advance by Tigrayan rebels (New York Times)

Ethiopia Reportedly Worked to Limit Probe of Rights Abuses

  • Ethiopian authorities allegedly tried to limit a recent probe of human rights abuses in the Tigray region that was conducted by a UN commission and a government-created body. The investigation’s findings are due to be released tomorrow (Associated Press)

Tigray Rebel Forces Seize Two Cities En Route to Ethiopia’s Capital

  • Rebel forces based in the Tigray region said they took control of two cities, Dessie and Kombolcha, that are on a main road leading to Ethiopia’s capital (Associated Press)

Ethiopian Air Strike Kills Six in Tigray

  • Ethiopia’s government launched an air strike on Thursday in Tigray’s capital city Mekele, killing six people including three children, according to a Tigray spokesperson (Associated Press)

Ethiopian Air Strikes Prevent UN Flight From Landing

  • Ethiopian air strikes prevented a UN humanitarian flight from landing in the Tigray region’s capital today, according to aid workers (Washington Post)

Ethiopia Launches Third Airstrike Offensive in Single Week

  • In its third airstrike of the week, the Ethiopian military targeted buildings in the Tigrayan capital of Mekelle for the second day in a row (Reuters)

Ethiopian Government Carries Out Air Strikes in Tigray

  • The Ethiopian government said it launched air strikes for the first time in its conflict with rebels in Tigray, striking the region’s capital, Mekelle (BBC)
  • The United Nations reported that Ethiopia’s air strikes killed three children and wounded at least ten others (CNN)