Media Monitoring: Nov 16th-Dec 6th
City Captures
Ethiopian forces recapture two key towns from rebels, gov’t says
Al Jazeera, December 6th, 2021
Ethiopia’s government says it has recaptured the strategic towns of Dessie and Kombolcha from Tigrayan rebels.
Ethiopian gov’t says it retook string of towns from Tigray forces
Al Jazeera, December 1st, 2021
The Ethiopian government says its forces recaptured Shewa Robit, a town some 220km (135 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa, which was claimed last week by fighters from the northern Tigray region.
Ethiopian gov’t forces in control of Chifra: State media
Al Jazeera, November 28th, 2021
Dead bodies ‘everywhere on streets’ of Afari town as Al Jazeera gains exclusive access to front line of the escalating war.
‘Abiy on Frontline’
Ethiopia's PM, on frontline, urges troops to 'destroy' enemy
Reuters, November 30th, 2021
NAIROBI, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his foes had been defeated and promised to recapture territory in the region of Amhara from rebellious Tigrayan forces after praising military victories against the Tigrayans in the region of Afar.
Ethiopian Leader Heads to Front Line as War Threatens to Widen
Declan Walsh, November 27th, 2021, International New York Times
Two years after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s claim that he was going into battle reflected both resolve and vulnerability.
Ethiopia PM pledges victory in video from front line: State media
Al Jazeera, November 26th, 2021
State media shows Abiy wearing army fatigues, saying morale is high and Tigrayan forces have been pushed back.
Conflict
Ethiopia denies attack on Sudan, blames rebels for violence
Al Jazeera, November 29th, 2021
Ethiopian government spokesman dismisses Sudanese claims that the military had attacked Sudan as ‘groundless’.
Sudan military says several soldiers killed in Ethiopian attack
Al Jazeera, November 27th, 2021
Military sources tell Reuters at least six Sudanese soldiers were killed in an attack in a disputed border region.
Residents patrol Ethiopian capital after Tigrayan forces' advance
Reuters, November 24th, 2021
ADDIS ABABA, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Every afternoon, Getachew Megersa searches the Ethiopian capital for undercover agents. The 55-year-old construction worker says it's not the first time he's defended his country against rebellious Tigrayan forces.
OPINION: With rebel forces vowing to take Addis Ababa, citizens are living in fear
Samuel Getachew, November 19th, 2021, The Globe and Mail
Canadian-Ethiopian journalist based in Addis Ababa Tensions are high in Addis Ababa, the capital of Africa's second-most populous country, Ethiopia. Police presence is heavy on the bustling city streets as authorities detain citizens suspected of supporting the Tigray People's Liberation Front.
This is how Ethiopia’s civil war began.
Declan Walsh and Abdi Latif Dahir, November 17th,2021, The New York Times
The conflict in Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous nation after Nigeria, has its roots in 2018. That is when a young politician named Abiy Ahmed became prime minister, and quickly set about draining the influence of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, a group that had dominated the government of Ethiopia for the previous 27 years.
Ethiopia rights body concerned about detentions under state of emergency
Reuters, November 17th, 2021
ADDIS ABABA, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Ethiopia's state-appointed rights commission said on Wednesday some human rights were not being upheld during the current national state of emergency and expressed concern about conditions in detention centres that it was unable to access.
Can the African Union solve Ethiopia’s year-long conflict?
Hamza Mohamed, November 16th, 2021
Analysts stress bloc’s importance in defusing deteriorating situation but warn it is in tight spot and must act quickly.
Ethiopia launches taskforce to address violations in Tigray war
Aggrey Mutambo, November 30th, 2021, The East African
The Ethiopian government has launched a taskforce to address the human rights violations in the Tigray conflict.
Humanitarian Aid
Human Rights Watch, November 24th, 2021
Ethiopia: The UN Human Rights Council should urgently hold a special session to address the ongoing human rights crisis
U.N. seeks record $41 bln for aid to hotspots led by Afghanistan, Ethiopia
Stephanie Nebehay, December 2nd, 2021, Reuters
GENEVA, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The United Nations appealed on Thursday for a record $41 billion to provide life-saving assistance next year to 183 million people worldwide caught up in conflict and poverty, led by a tripling of its programme in Afghanistan.
Ethiopia: Humanitarian aid needed as situation deteriorates in Tigray
UN News, November 24th, 2021
Yesterday, almost 40 trucks with humanitarian supplies, including food, left the Afar capital of Semera for Tigray – the first convoy to do so since 18 October.
International News
China says Ethiopia capable of handling Tigray conflict
Aggrey Mutambo, December 2nd, 2021, The East African
China says the Ethiopian government is capable of managing the conflict in Tigray, becoming one of few actors to oppose what Beijing says is foreign interference in the Horn country.
UN chief calls for immediate end to fighting in Ethiopia
Al Jazeera, November 24th, 2021
Call comes as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reported to be on the front lines and men flocking to join military.
UAE air bridge provides military support to Ethiopia gov’t
Al Jazeera, November 25th, 2021
Al Jazeera investigation finds the UAE is providing extensive support to Ethiopian army in fight against Tigray forces.
Ireland says Ethiopia ordered expulsion of four Irish diplomats
Al Jazeera, November 24th, 2021
Ireland’s ambassador and one other diplomat told they could stay but the others had to leave, government says.
France, Germany latest countries to urge nationals to leave Ethiopia
Al Jazeera, November 23rd, 2021
Ethiopian PM says he is heading to front line to lead troops against Tigrayan forces as hopes for peaceful solution dim.
U.S. News
Blinken calls for negotiations amid Ethiopia military escalation
Al Jazeera, November 27th, 2021
US Secretary of State expresses concern over escalating fighting between gov’t forces and Tigrayan fighters.
UPDATE 2-Ethiopia asks U.S. to stop spreading false information on war
Reuters, November 25th, 2021
ADDIS ABABA, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Ethiopia's government has asked the United States to stop spreading falsehoods against the country, the state minister of communication said on Thursday, after the U.S. State Department issued an alert about potential "terrorist attacks".
U.S. envoy cautiously optimistic with talks in Ethiopia
Cara Anna, November 24th, 2021, The Associated Press
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A United States envoy said Tuesday he sees “nascent progress” in talks with Ethiopia’s warring sides toward a cease-fire, but he fears it will be outpaced by “alarming” military developments in the yearlong war in Africa’s second-most populous country.
Stephanie Busari and Rob Picheta, November 19th, 2021, CNN
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Friday that the war in Tigray has put Ethiopia on a "path to destruction" that could reverberate throughout east Africa, telling CNN that the country's leader, Abiy Ahmed, must fulfill "his responsibility" and end violence in the region.
US warns pilots of possible ‘surface-to-air fire’ in Ethiopia
Al Jazeera, November 18th, 2021
An FAA advisory warns clashes between government forces and TPLF could threaten flights if fighting reaches the capital.
UPDATE 2-U.S. envoy meets Ethiopia deputy PM in bid to revive truce efforts
Reuters, November 18th, 2021
ADDIS ABABA, Nov 18 (Reuters) - A U.S. special envoy met Ethiopia's deputy prime minister on Thursday in a bid to revive ceasefire talks, as the government gave permission for 369 aid trucks to enter famine-hit Tigray, where fighting began a year ago.
UPDATE 1-U.S. State Department urges U.S. citizens to leave Ethiopia immediately
Reuters, November 16th, 2021
WASHINGTON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department on Tuesday again urged U.S. citizens in Ethiopia to leave the country immediately, adding that the United States has no plans to facilitate an evacuation via military or commercial aircraft as Washington steps up pressure to bring an end to the conflict in Ethiopia.
Gender Based Violence
Sexual violence as weapon of war spreads to new regions in Ethiopia
Lucy Kassa, November 29th, 2021, The Globe and Mail
As Tigrayan fighters march relentlessly closer to Addis Ababa in a military offensive that threatens to topple the Ethiopian government, disturbing evidence of brutal abuses is emerging from some of the towns and villages captured by the rebels.
Rights experts call for end to violence against women in Tigray conflict
UN News, December 3rd, 2021
In a statement issued on Friday, they expressed grave concern about the widespread sexual and gender-based violence attributed to Ethiopian, Eritrean, Tigray and Amhara forces, as well as allied militia.
Mass Arrests and Detentions
Armed Raids in Northwest Ethiopia Fill Camps With Displaced
Simon Marks, December 3rd, 2021, Bloomberg
A conflict between two of Ethiopia’s northern states has intensified, with thousands of people in the western Tigray region forced to flee their homes or detained.
Mass Detentions of Civilians Fan ‘Climate of Fear’ in Ethiopia
Abdi Latif Dahir, November 19th,2021, International New York Times
An ethnically motivated detention campaign largely targeting Ethiopians of Tigrayan descent threatens to further unravel Africa’s second-most populous country a year into a civil war.
Thousands detained in Ethiopia crackdown, rights body says
Al Jazeera, November 17th,2021
Government-created body says most of those detained since declaration of state of emergency are Tigrayans.
Health and Famine
Scores of children killed by starvation in Tigray, says health official
Emmanuel Akinwotu, November 16th, 2021, The Guardian
Almost 200 children under the age of five died of starvation in 14 hospitals across Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region between late June and October, according to data collected by local doctors and researchers.
Tigray Refugees with Disabilities in Eastern Sudan Camps
Relief Web, December 3rd, 2021
In communities affected by conflict, people with disabilities are often persecuted, forced to flee their homes and deprived of basic human rights -- and typically find it even harder than others to access support. For women, it is even harder again.
Relief Web, November 23rd, 2021
The war in Tigray region of Ethiopia that started in November 2020 and is still ongoing has brought enormous damage to the health system. This analysis provides an assessment of the health system before and during the war.