Media Monitoring: Oct 23rd-31st
Conflict
Tigrayan forces claim to capture new town of Kombolcha
Al Jazeera, October 31st, 2021
Tigrayan fighters make a new advance southwards as Ethiopian troops battle to secure the strategic city of Dessie.
UPDATE 1-Tigrayan and Oromo forces say they have seized towns on Ethiopian highway
Reuters, October 31st, 2021
ADDIS ABABA/NAIROBI, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Two different groups fighting Ethiopia's central government said they had seized control of towns on Sunday as the prime minister appealed for citizens to take up arms.
Ethiopia's rival Tigray forces claim to take strategic city
Associated Press, October 30th, 2021
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Tigray forces said Saturday they have taken control of a key city on the route to Ethiopia’s capital, while Ethiopia’s government denied it and the United States urged the Tigray fighters to halt their advances as the yearlong war intensifies.
Ethiopia’s strategic town of Dessie ‘captured’ by rebel forces
Al Jazeera, October 30th, 2021
Ethiopia government spokesperson, however, denies Tigrayan fighters seized Dessie town in the Amhara region.
International Interventions
US hits Iran with sanctions ahead of key nuke talks meeting
Associated Press, October 29th, 2021
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States on Friday hit Iran with a fresh set of sanctions as President Joe Biden prepares for a key weekend meeting with European leaders to discuss the possible resumption of nuclear talks with the Islamic Republic.
US calls on Tigray rebel group to 'halt its advances' in key northern cities
France 24, October 30th, 2021
Washington on Saturday called on Tigrayan rebels to withdraw from the Amhara and Afar regions in northern Ethiopia where fighting has intensified.
Airstrikes
Ethiopia air raid on Tigray kills 10, including children
Al Jazeera, October 28th, 2021
Ethiopia’s military has carried out an air raid on the capital of the war-torn Tigray region that a hospital official said killed ten people and wounded more than 20.
Ethiopian airstrikes in Tigray force UN flight to turn back
Cara Anna, October 22nd, 2021, The Associated Press
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ethiopian military airstrikes on Friday forced a United Nations humanitarian flight to abandon its landing in the capital of the country’s Tigray region, and a government spokesman said authorities were aware of the inbound flight. It appeared to be a sharp escalation in intimidation tactics authorities have used against aid workers amid the intensifying, year-long Tigray war.
Politics
Abiy’s offensive against Tigray collapses: Dreams of a ‘new Ethiopia’ arise
Phillip Van Niekerk, October 31st, 2021, Daily Maverick
One year after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent in troops who committed unspeakable atrocities in an attempt to crush the rebellious Tigray region, the army that he sought to vanquish is heading down the highway towards Addis Ababa. The fate of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s regime now hangs in a precarious balance.
Tigray crisis: How the West has fallen out with Ethiopia's PM
Farouk Chothia, October 24th, 2021, BBC News
With the Ethiopian government's relationship with the US and European Union (EU) at a low ebb, it is looking elsewhere for new allies to crush the rebellion being waged against it from the mountainous Tigray region.
Eliza Mackintosh, October 25th, 2021, CNN
Facebook employees repeatedly sounded the alarm on the company's failure to curb the spread of posts inciting violence in "at risk" countries like Ethiopia, where a civil war has raged for the past year, internal documents seen by CNN show.
Humanitarian Aid
Ethiopians Suffer Under Tigray Aid Shortages
Cristina Krippahl, October 25th, 2021, All Africa
As Addis Ababa steps up its air offensive against the TPLF and Tigray forces advance on the ground, the situation for the civilian population is growing more desperate by the hour.
Refugees
“I hope for peace and to return to my home”: supporting Tigray refugees
Reliefweb, October 25th, 2021, Islamic Relief
The Tigray region of Ethiopia is suffering from a humanitarian crisis after conflict broke out in November 2020. The violence forced thousands of people to flee their homes, many crossing the border into Sudan where they live in dire conditions in refugee camps. Islamic Relief has been working to support vulnerable families by improving conditions in refugee camps.