Ethiopia: National Council of Eritrean Americans (NCEA) – NCEA Statement on the ill-informed US House Foreign Affairs Bill (11.02.2022)

Ethiopia: Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) – OLF Continues to Urge the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Handle Refugees Humanely (11.02.2022)

Drought in the Horn of Africa: New Analyses Flag Mounting Risks, Need to Support Rural Families (11.02.2022)

A drought picture from a previous drought in Somalia (sometime in 2016)

FAO senior officials visit affected areas in the rush to save lives and livelihoods.

NAIROBI, Kenya, February 11, 2022 – An extended, multi-season drought is driving acute food insecurity in the Horn of Africa, with 12 to 14 million people now at risk as crops continue to wither and animals weaken, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and partners warned today.

Resource-based conflicts are escalating as competition for water and pasturelands increases, and malnutrition rates are rising in affected areas of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, highlighting the need to sustain the rural livelihoods that underpin peace and food security across the Horn.

At a briefing to international donors in Nairobi, FAO and its partners reported that the food security outlook in the region will be highly dependent on the performance of the upcoming rainy season, with forecasts currently uncertain.

In a worst-case scenario in which the rains completely fail and agricultural-dependent communities do not receive adequate support, the number of highly food insecure people could climb to 15-20 million – with some worst-affected households facing “catastrophic” hunger conditions.

“Drought cycles are intensifying and occurring with greater frequency. Immediate humanitarian action to support farmers and herders is needed now,” said Bechdol, after visiting Kenyan communities where goats and cows are dying from lack of water and pasture. “The international community has a narrow window to prevent a major humanitarian catastrophe here,” she said.

“Alarm bells have already been rung – scaled-up action is needed now,” said Phiri. “FAO carried out anticipatory actions during the latter half of 2021 in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia to mitigate the impacts of drought on over one million rural people and so far a crisis has been mitigated. But much more is needed as the situation deteriorates and as crisis looms,” he said.

A plan to help rural families cope 

Under FAO’s new Horn of Africa Drought Response Plan, $130 million is urgently needed to provide time-critical assistance to highly vulnerable communities in drought-hit regions of the three countries. The plan supports the production of up to 90 million litres of milk and up to 40 000 tonnes of staple food crops in the first part of 2022, putting over one million highly-food insecure people on a safe footing.

For pastoralist families, FAO aims to deliver animal feed and nutritional supplements, provide mobile veterinary health clinics, transport 10 000 litre collapsible water reservoirs to remote areas, and upgrade existing wells to run on solar power.

For farming families, FAO aims to distribute drought-tolerant early-maturing varieties of sorghum, maize, cowpea and other beans and vegetables.

FAO is also carrying out cash transfers and cash-for-work programmes to ensure the most vulnerable can access food.

Additional new analysis published on Thursday from the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) for Somalia, hosted by FAO, shows that in Somalia alone, the number of acutely food insecure people (IPC Phase 3 and 4) is expected to increase from 3.5 to 4.1 million between January and March 2022, if humanitarian assistance is not received on time.

FAO’s Deputy Director-General, Beth Bechdol; Subregional Coordinator for Eastern Africa, David Phiri; and Director of Emergencies and Resilience, Rein Paulsen have just completed a visit to Kenya to raise awareness on the drought and see FAO’s vital response in action, including in Isiolo and Marsabit counties in the north.

Ethiopia: Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) – The Prosperity Party government must stop Pshysically and Psychologically torturing political prisoners and their Families (10.02.2022)

Ethiopia: Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) and Congress for Somali Cause (CSC) – Joint Press Release (10.02.2022)

The ICJ Case Judgment [DRC V. Uganda] set precedence for more cases [towards the other nations participating in Congolese Wars between 1996 – 2003]

Yesterday’s landmark ruling in the International Court of Justice is astonishing and vastly important. As it sends a message and opportunities for the Democratic Republic of Congo to seek remedy from all the parties that looted, destroyed and directly added harm to the conflicts in the two major Congolese wars, which lasted from 1996 to 2003.

All of these years, it wasn’t only Uganda Peoples Defence Force (UPDF) who invaded the then Zaire or Democratic Republic of Congo. There was several of other parties and militias that participated in it. Which was sponsored by various of parties and took part in the looting, destruction and killings. Therefore, it is right that the Government of Uganda is punished and have to pay, but the DRC have to build on this.

The DRC have to go after all the other ones who participated in the Congolese Wars. There is a need to collect evidence, witnesses and documentation, which will be deemed fit for the ICJ. Because, the DRC has been able to prove and challenge the Ugandans in the same Court. Now, it is time to do that with others. Since, we all know the Ugandans wasn’t alone in this and it was several of other parties, nations and warlords who took part. They all should pay for the grievances and harm it has committed in the DRC.

In the first Congolese War, the nations participating, which we know of was also Rwanda, Burundi, Angola and Eritrea. While in the second Congolese War there was also several of others participating in the warfare. This time it is been proven that Rwanda, Burundi, Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Tchad.

We know there was several of militias that had foreign support as well. These was various of them and they had real relevance and amassed vast fortunes for the ones trading illicit mineral resources. That’s why we know the participants did use the war for profits and earn wealth on the plights of the DRC, which is just the bleak reality of all of this.

That’s why the DRC and authorities in Kinshasa shouldn’t just celebrate the victory of yesterday. They should run wild and start cases against the other parties in the conflict as well. That would be justified and fair. To go after all the nations and their armies who was in the wars. To go after the ones sponsoring and making it possible for militias to collect, earn and profit of warfare in provinces across the DRC. That would be justified and get the Republic some relief of the suffering, which it has been living through and continues to have.

It is not like the monsters of these wars are gone. They are still prominent and has possible state sponsored militias within the DRC. It is not like the neighbours has totally left and doesn’t profit on the porous borders between the republics. That what it does and this should give Kinshasa more reasons to go after them.

Let’s hope they work on it and pursuits justice, because it’s the only reasonable thing to do. The DRC should go after the other parties now, as they won over the Uganda. There are other government that should shake their boots and worry about the future tab they have to return to Kinshasa. That would only make sense at this point.

Yes, it will take years and years to get it happening, but yiu see the pay-off in the end. The DRC know how things work and should build on it. As it has the strength and wisdom to pull it off. Peace.

Ethiopia: Legal Action Worldwide (LAW), Debevoise & Plimpton & Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU) – Joint Press Release – Landmark Case Filed against Ethiopia for Human Rights Violations in Tigray (08.02.2022)

Ethiopia: The Global Society of Tigrai Scholars (GSTS) – Misrepresentation of the Genocidal War on Tigray, by the Ethiopian Government, as an African Issue (07.02.2022)

Ethiopia: Congress of Somali Cause (CSC) – Statement by the Congress of Somali Cause (CSC) on National Dialogue Commission in Ethiopia (06.02.2022)

Ethiopia: Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) – Ethiopian Human Rights Commission’s report concerning the Karrayyu Massacre (05.02.2022)