Ethiopia: The Government of National Regional State of Tigray – Open letter from the Government of Tigray to the Secretary General of the United Nations (20.04.2022)

Ethiopia: The Afar Region is a target and possible new front against the Tigray Region

Happening NOW! 150 containers of ammunition are entering Afar through the Djibouti boarder accompanied by 12 patrols, under drone surveillance. We must act now to stop the looming war. Heavy ammunitions are being stocked up in Semera and there are reports of 100s of soldiers getting deployed to Zone 4 (Afar/Tigray border) earlier today. Abiy Ahmed Ali is preparing yet another bloody war while fooling the rest of the world. We must wake up. Act Now!” (Afar Federalist Diaspora Coordination Committee, 17.04.2022).

Emergency food assistance immediately needed to avert famine and starvation the following towns of northern Afar:

❗️Dallol

❗️Barhale

❗️Konnaba

❗️Abaala

❗️Magaale

❗️Eribti and areas

❗️Other towns and kebeles in northern Afar under the TPLF occupation” (Afar Watch, 17.04.2022).

The Afar Region is in the centre and is carrying a blunt of the forces of the region. The reports however is stating that the Afar Regions Special Forces and the Pastoralists themselves is fencing of the invaders of the region.

The Tigray Defence Force has attacked parts of the Afar region for months now. While Issa-Somali militia continues with steady skirmishes. It is also alleged that the Oromo Liberation Army has attacked the region during the last few days. Therefore, it is the centre of the conflict and a hot-spot of atrocities.

While there is no proof of new enforcement or recruits sent from other regions to back the Afar Region up. Neither is there any reports of the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) sending troops there. There was reports during March and early April of troops moving closer to the Amhara borders towards the Tigray region. While there has been no new advances or escalation thereof.

We know the state have announced their Humanitarian Truce with the Tigray region, but that is hallow and haven’t been substantial. With the knowledge and basis of former acts of the Federal State. As the “offensive” in the Oromia would wind down. There could be a possible a re-enforcement and re-engagement in Tigray from Afar. As the TDF is already there and they have a front-line there.

That wouldn’t shock anyone. The problems of the region is only becoming worse. As the Afar region is becoming a war-zone and a conflict area. Where the guns is never silenced. Where the battles are made and the homes are destroyed. Villages burned and people killed, as result of the senseless killing on all sides. The war is brutal and no one is left untouched.

We know this is happening, just like the Afar People’s Party reported on the 13th April: According to the fire that happened in Samurobi Geleelu Woreda, 162 residential and commercial shops have been burned down. Information shows that the estimated property of more than 56 million birr has been destroyed. And this has put the people affected by war, drought and cost of life in a worse situation. The Afar People’s Party expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the accident. I kindly request all the people of our country, charity organizations and international accident prevention organizations to extend their support to the families that have been affected by this Ramadan month” (Afar People’s Party, 13.04.2022).

This isn’t an isolated incident, as the war is ravaging and the conflict is hurting more people. That why zones, villages and towns are damaged. The various armed groups is creating this hostile territory and the Federal Government isn’t supporting the Regional State. They have moved possible ammunition for an offensive. But who knows when that happens and when they reinforce the ENDF there.

We know it is legit when Amhara Para-Military Group “Fano” is sending brigades to the Afar region and the Eritrean Defence Force (EDF) has sent troops too. When that happens. Then you know a counter-offensive against the Tigray Defence Force (TDF) is in the works and on schedule. Until then, the rumours are circulating and sooner or later something is happening. Peace.

Ukraine: WFP appeals for access to encircled cities in Ukraine (15.04.2022)

WFP ED Visit to a local church and meets with Sergei Anohin, a local pastor in Bucha, took in 160 people who lived inside the church for ten days as fighting raged. WFP is providing assistance here.
WFP has scaled up significantly in the past 6 weeks. So far, we have already supported 30,000 people with cash assistance and over 1.3 million (mostly in hard to reach areas) with in-kind food

KYIV — The United Nations World Food Programme today called for unimpeded access to families trapped in conflict areas and encircled cities in Ukraine, saying lack of access was the biggest obstacle to its life-saving operations in the war-torn country.

“We’re calling on everyone to give us the access we need to reach the people in besieged cities,” WFP Executive Director David Beasley said at the end of a three-day visit to Ukraine. “It’s one thing when people are suffering from the devastation of war. It’s another thing when they’re being starved to death.”

The encircled city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine is thought to be running out of its last reserves of food and water. No humanitarian aid has been allowed into the city since it was encircled more than two weeks ago. To the west, the city of Mykolaev remains unreachable due to active conflict in the area. WFP is also concerned about several cities in the east.

WFP has so far delivered food assistance to 1.4 million people in Ukraine and is ramping up to reach 2.3 million people this month. But getting safe access to cities like Mariupol, where more than 100,000 people are believed to be trapped, will be key.

WFP this week expanded food assistance operations to areas which until recently were on the war’s front lines. In towns such as Bucha, Hostomel, Borodyanka and Irpin, near Kyiv, WFP is now distributing boxes of pasta, rice, canned meat and cooking oil to traumatized survivors amid the rubble of their former homes.

WFP chief Beasley went to Bucha on Thursday to see first-hand the operations being carried out in the area with the help of local church communities. He also spoke with women and children in a nearby centre for displaced people.

“I am shocked. The horror of war is so visible here and I shudder to think what these people have been through,” he said after walking through streets littered with unexploded mortar shells and visiting a bombed out orphanage. “But I see hope. I see a community working with energy to clean up and rebuild. We need to support that process.”

WFP is scaling up its response to the conflict in Ukraine on a “no-regrets” basis, giving out food and assistance very broadly, with the goal of eventually supporting 6 million people caught up in the world’s fastest growing humanitarian crisis. Families in conflict-affected areas are receiving food parcels similar to those distributed in Bucha. Meanwhile, in areas where markets are functioning, cash is being distributed so families can buy what they need.

Over 7 million people are displaced inside Ukraine and the pre-conflict supply chain systems for feeding the country’s population have broken down in many areas. WFP estimates one third of the people in the country and more than half (60 percent) internally displaced people are worried about finding enough to

The conflict in Ukraine is also triggering a wave of collateral hunger elsewhere in the world. Global food prices have increased sharply since the onset of the conflict and are now at an all-time high. These hikes are expected to further limit access to food for millions of people who are already under stress because of food inflation in their countries.

Ethiopia: UN Organizations celebrates mediocrity – Humanitarian Assistance Blockade still ravaging large in Tigray region

All 50 trucks just arrived safely in #Mekelle, bringing essential humanitarian supplies including:

➡️1,000mt of wheat & pulses

➡️700mt of health, nutrition & WASH items

+ 115,000 litres of fuel” (World Food Programme Ethiopia, 15.04.2022).

Since the humanitarian truce of 24th March 2022 and that is 22 days of supposed opening of entry to the Tigray region. However, previously there has only come about 21 trucks into the region early in April. Now by the middle of the month on the 15th April it has come another 50 trucks. The United Nations and World Food Programme (WFP) praising the FDRE over it is obnoxious. When you know how the state has been working and using food insecurity as a weapon.

The region by previous estimates of needs are 100 trucks per day. In the middle of only the humanitarian truce by now. It would mean the UN and WFP should have driven convoys of a 100, every single day. However, they are barely scraping that after two famous entries of about 75 trucks on max. That isn’t something to salute. In the time of the Humanitarian Truce the region should have seen about 2000 trucks and such. To be exact, the state should have ensured that the region could see 2200 trucks get into Tigray.

The recent OCHA reports states the situation like this:

Humanitarian partners have not been able to move any additional aid supplies into Tigray via the Semera-Abala-Mekelle since the convoy of 20 trucks with food and nutrition supplies and one fuel tanker that arrived on 1 and 2 April, the first convoy since 15 December 2021. Humanitarian organizations in Tigray are facing growing challenges in reaching people in need due to shortages of essential supplies, and the continuing suspension of basic essential services, including banking, electricity, and communications. Food partners, for instance, remain with only around 1,300 metric tons (MT) of food commodities within Tigray out of which, there is merely enough stock or 360 MT to feed about 21,000 people with a balanced three-commodity food basket for one round. Between 4 and 8 April, humanitarian partners airlifted 100 MT of nutrition and medical supplies to Mekelle, Tigray. As of 11 April, the total amount of medical and nutrition supplies airlifted since the first cargo flight on 24 January is about 538 MT, equivalent to only 13 trucks of humanitarian supplies. The supplies included about 36 MT of HIV anti-retroviral medicines, the first time since July 2021. This will be enough to treat 46,000 HIV patients for six months. The airlifts remain limited to low quantities between 5 and 13 MT per flight and were prioritized according to the most urgent lifesaving needs, therefore cannot fill in the significant gap between the needs on the ground and the supplies delivered” (OCHA, 14.04.2022).

More than 9 million people need food assistance in northern Ethiopia and food assistance will be required throughout 2022 across northern Ethiopia. Provision of food assistance in hard-to-reach areas in Tigray, Amhara and Afar. Increased food needs due to increased number of IDPs in parts of Amhara and in Afar” (OCHA, 14.04.2022).

So, when you read what the last round of humanitarian assistance was able to help, which is about 21,000 people. You know the amount of trucks of humanitarian assistance versus the needs of the millions of people. It is easy to see the gaps which is enormous. This just shows how the humanitarian assistance have been weaponized and it’s a man-made famine.

The entries of the about the 75 trucks is only an anomaly and only patches the hurt, but it doesn’t fix the problems. This isn’t something to celebrate or sound victories. No, this is just disgraceful and shows how distasteful the FDRE are. The FDRE and Tripartite Alliance has created this monster, they are proud of blocking people’s ability to eat and starve them on-mass. That’s why they have allowed 75 trucks in a period the state should have seen over 2000 trucks should have entered the same area. That’s how unserious and careless they are about the plights of the Tigray region. The Addis Ababa and Asmara ruling elites wouldn’t care if Mekelle would burn to the ground and be left in the dust. That is what they are doing and we are not supposed to say anything.

The 75 trucks isn’t worth texts of gravitas and sending pigeons to Bahir Dar. No, it deserves contempt, as much contempt as the current regime has for the Tigray region. Peace.

Ethiopia: FDRE Government Communication Service – In the past two days, more than 50 trucks carrying food items and fuel departed from Semera heading to Tigray (14.04.2022)

Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF): UN to spend $100 million to fight hunger as Ukraine conflict disrupts food markets (14.04.2022)

South Sudan: Top United Nations envoy condemns attacks on civilians, humanitarians; pledges electoral support and enhanced protection (14.04.2022)

UNMISS peacekeepers are currently monitoring the situation in Leer, patrolling constantly, and providing emergency medical assistance, as they are in other conflict hotspots across the country.

JUBA, South Sudan, April 14, 2022 – As subnational violence surges in parts of the world’s newest nation, South Sudan, communities here are also grappling with a deepening humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by climate change and COVID-19.

Recent weeks have also seen rising political tensions and competition.

It is against this complex backdrop, that the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Nicholas Haysom, held a press conference at the mission’s headquarters in Juba today.

His first order of business: Renewed violence in Leer, Unity state, where thousands have been displaced, properties destroyed, and sexual violence is said to be rising.

“Only last week thousands of people in Leer, Unity State were forced to flee their homes following a surge of fighting along with disturbing reports of sexual violence, looting and destruction of civilian and humanitarian property,” said SRSG Haysom, underlining that the impact of such attacks are felt directly by communities, especially women and children.

“I strongly condemn these violent attacks on civilians but in particular attacks on humanitarians and looting of their life-saving supplies,” he added. “For humanitarians, saving lives should not mean losing lives.”

UNMISS peacekeepers are currently monitoring the situation in Leer, patrolling constantly, and providing emergency medical assistance, as they are in other conflict hotspots across the country.

“We will continue to advocate at the highest levels of government to assume a greater responsibility to intervene in the protection of civilians, which includes humanitarians,” assured the SRSG.

For Mr. Haysom, building sustained peace is a collective effort. In this regard, he commended all parties for reaching an agreement on the command-and-control structure of the Necessary Unified Forces, a key stipulation contained within the Revitalized Peace Agreement

“I applaud the parties for overcoming an impasse to reach an agreement on security arrangements regarding the unified command-and-control structure,” stated Mr. Haysom, adding that he hopes such progress in achieving peace targets will be an important step forward in protecting civilians and providing humanitarian assistance to those who need it the most.

“With the appointment of a unified command, we expect to see greater coherence in responding to local conflicts across the country.”

The SRSG also took note of the 12 April Presidential Decree integrating the South Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in Opposition (SPLA-iO) and the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) into the blueprint of a unified army as well as police, security, prisons and civil defence services.

Moving on to the Security Council’s recent decision to renew the UN Peacekeeping mission’s mandate in South Sudan until March 2023, SRSG Haysom highlighted a significant addition to UNMISS’ ongoing peacekeeping, peacemaking, and peacebuilding efforts – electoral support.

“Upon the invitation from the Government, the Mission stands ready to support the South Sudanese in elections and in building their political institutions. The holding and timing of elections will remain a sovereign decision for the people and leaders of South Sudan,” he stated.

Relatedly, Mr. Haysom listed vital areas that must be addressed for all outstanding elements of the Peace Agreement to be implemented.

“Now that the parties have reached agreement on the unified command structure, the way is open for a surge on other critical tasks which includes transitional justice; undertaking financial, legal and judicial reforms; and the constitution making process which is fundamental to defining the social contract will underpin national unity,” he averred.

For its part, according to the SRSG, UNMISS will continue providing necessary technical support and work with local organisations to encourage public understanding on an inclusive constitution making process.

Furthermore, with merely 10 months of the transitional period remaining, SRSG Haysom reiterated the urgent need for all parties, including non-signatories, to come together and fully action the Revitalized Peace Agreement, so that the people of South Sudan can heal past wounds and look forward to a peaceful, prosperous future.

“A window of opportunity remains for South Sudan to complete its transition in accordance with the timeline set out in the Peace Agreement, though it is closing. Recent progress gives hope that the Government can accelerate implementation and make maximum use of the time left in the transitional period.”

Cameroon: OCHA – The 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan requires US$ 376 million to support people in need of humanitarian assistance in Cameroon (14.04.2022)

Ethiopia: Amhara National Regional State – Statement on the Joint Investigation Report of Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch (11.04.2022)

Somalia: Joint FAO-OCHA-UNICEF-WFP Statement on the Drought Emergency in Somalia (12.04.2022)