U.S. Administration
Samuel Gebre and Simon Marks, May 22nd, 2021, Bloomberg
The Biden administration has prepared economic sanctions against Ethiopia that could halt financing from the U.S. and loans by international financial institutions, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Robbie Gramer, May 21st, Foreign Policy
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration is planning to target Ethiopian and Eritrean officials with visa restrictions in an opening diplomatic salvo against Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government over atrocities committed in the country’s Tigray conflict, U.S. officials and congressional aides familiar with the matter tell Foreign Policy.
Nima Elbagir & Eliza Mackintosh, May 21st, 2021, CNN
(CNN)The US Senate has unanimously passed a resolution calling for the immediate withdrawal of Eritrean troops from Ethiopia's war-torn northern Tigray region, after a CNN investigation revealed that the soldiers were cutting off critical aid routes.
Journalism
Declan Walsh, May 20th, 2021, The New York Times
The government gave no explanation for the expulsion of the reporter, Simon Marks, who had extensively reported about the war and human rights abuses in the Tigray region.
Similar Articles:
Ethiopia expels journalist who reported on atrocities in Tigray (POLITICO)
Ethiopia Expels New York Times Reporter Who Covered Tigray War (VOA)
Crimes Against Humanity
Al Jazeera, May 21st, 2021
Ethiopia’s military prosecutors have convicted three soldiers of rape and pressed charges against 28 others suspected of killing civilians in the ongoing conflict in the northern Tigray region, the attorney general’s office announced.
Robbie Corey-Boulet, May 21st, 2021, Yahoo News
Ethiopia on Friday for the first time accused troops from neighbouring Eritrea of killing 110 civilians in a massacre in the war-hit Tigray region.
Ayenat Mersie, May 21st, 2021, Reuters
Three Ethiopian soldiers have been convicted of rape and one of killing a civilian in Ethiopia's Tigray region, the government said on Friday, the first public statement that soldiers had been found guilty of crimes against civilians in the conflict.
Addis Standard, May 20th, 2021
Addis Abeba, May 2021 – The U.S. Government issued a statement calling on all armed actors in Ethiopia to safeguard the lives and activities of humanitarian workers throughout Ethiopia after a staff member of a USAID partner was killed on April 28 in Kola Temben, Tigray reportedly by Eritrean and Ethiopian soldiers.
Famine
Lucy Kassa, May 18th, 2021, Al Jazeera
In nearly two months, Kiflom Tekleweyni has eaten very little. The 23-year-old, who was born with an undiagnosed mental illness, and his mother fled their hometown of Dansha in Ethiopia’s war-hit Tigray region in mid-March.
Relief Web, May 21st, 2021
Key Messages
Across much of Ethiopia, 2021 assistance needs are at their highest levels since 2016, driven by a confluence of factors.
Relief Web, May 17th, 2021
Across much of Ethiopia, 2021 assistance needs are at their highest levels since 2016 (Figure 1), driven by a confluence of factors.
Crisis in Tigray
Al Jazeera, May 17th, 2021
Ethiopia’s conflict-hit Tigray region is facing a horrifying situation with people dying of hunger, health services destroyed and rape “rampant”, according to the World Health Organization chief, who is from the region.
Relief Web, May 20th, 2021
HIGHLIGHTS: Humanitarian agencies are facing increased obstacles to access populations in need.
Relief Web, May 17th, 2021
Background: On November 4, 2020 simmering tensions between the federal government and the leadership of the northern Tigray region escalated into a military confrontation.
Opinion
Nick Turse, The Intercept, May 21st, 2021
Jason Patinkin spent the better part of a decade as a freelance reporter, covering conflicts, extremism, and counterinsurgency in East Africa for major news outlets including the Washington Post, Reuters, and the Associated Press. He won commendations for relentless reporting under a repressive regime in South Sudan and broke stories about war crimes that provoked global outrage.
The Conversation, May 19th, 2021
The head of Ethiopia’s Orthodox Church, Abune Mathias, recently condemned the ongoing armed conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region and the suffering it’s causing the civilian population. In a video message he was seen saying “genocide is being committed now”.