Ethiopia: Thousands of Eritrean refugees displaced in clashes in Ethiopia’s Afar region (18.02.2022)

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Boris Cheshirkov – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

GENEVA, Switzerland, February 18, 2022 – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is working with the Ethiopian authorities and partners to provide emergency aid to thousands of Eritrean refugees who fled Barahle refugee camp and its environs in the Afar region after fighting engulfed the area.

Refugees who trekked the long distance to the regional capital in Semera told UNHCR staff that armed men entered the camp on 3 February, stole their belongings and occupied their homes. According to their testimonies, at least five refugees were killed and several women were kidnapped. Family members lost one another in the chaos of fleeing the camp.

So far, over 4,000 refugees are in Semera where UNHCR together with Ethiopia’s Government Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS) and other partners are providing immediate support with shelter, relief items, food as well as clean water. We have also set up protection desks where the most vulnerable among the refugees, including separated children and others with specific needs, are being identified and provided with support.

Around 10,000 refugees are also reported to be living in Afdera town, approximately 225 kilometers from Semera. Others are also believed to have fled towards the towns of Altefa and Dabure, further inland.

The government has identified a temporary site in Serdo town, 40 kilometers from Semera, where UNHCR, RRS and partners are making preparations in order to quickly relocate refugees.

With yet another refugee camp severely impacted, UNHCR remains extremely worried about the safety and wellbeing of thousands of Eritrean refugees caught up in the conflict.

We condemn the attack on the refugee camp and reiterate the call for cessation of hostilities to avoid further destruction and potential loss of life for refugees and Ethiopians alike, and so that much needed humanitarian assistance can reach them.

There are also large numbers of internally displaced Ethiopians in the Afar region, including some 300,000 uprooted by the recent fighting.

UNHCR will continue our efforts to support the Ethiopian government in its response to refugees and displaced populations affected by the conflict.

Ethiopia: Tigray External Affairs Office – Response to Amnesty International’s Report on the alleged Human Rights Violations in Amhara towns (17.02.2022)

Ethiopia: The Global Society of Tigrai Scholars (GSTS) – Urgent Appeal to End the Brutal Siege and Catastrophic Humanitarian Crisis and Atrocities Against Tigrayans (16.02.2022)

Ethiopia: Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) – Press Release (17.02.2022)

Ethiopia: Oromo Legacy Leadership and Advocacy Association (OLLAA) – OLLAA Condemns recent Attacks against Civilians throughout Ethiopia (15.02.2022)

Ethiopia: Eritrean Political Forces & Eritrean Global Yiaki Movement – An Urgent Appeal for the Protection of Eritrean Refugees in Barahle camp of Ethiopia (12.02.2022)

Ethiopia: WHO – Lack of fuel prevents distribution of critically-needed medical supplies in Tigray region (14.02.2022)

WHO has been permitted to deliver medical supplies to Tigray, Ethiopia, for the first time since July 2021, but there is no fuel to distribute them to health centres.

The supplies, which are now in storage until they can be distributed, include essential medical equipment, personal protective equipment, antibiotics, medicines for malaria and diabetes, including insulin, treatment for severe acute malnutrition, and medicines and supplies for reproductive health. Our partner, the World Food Programme (WFP), began airlifting them to Mekelle, in Tigray, on 11 February. More shipments are planned this week.

Fuel for humanitarian operations has not been allowed into Tigray since August 2021, except for two WFP trucks in November.

The lack of fuel, cash and supplies has caused humanitarian operations in Tigray to be reduced or suspended altogether, as highlighted in OCHA’s humanitarian update for Northern Ethiopia last week.

The WHO shipments, which are part of 33.5 metric tonnes of planned deliveries, still represent a small portion of what is needed. Without access to supplies, health workers are trying to continue to provide health services with almost no medicines or functioning equipment.

According to OCHA, health partners estimate the following supplies are required to meet the urgent nutrition and health needs of the people in Tigray: 2,200 metric tonnes of emergency health kits; 1.5 million doses of cholera vaccine; polio oral vaccination for 888,000 children under five years; more than 30,000 metric tonnes of nutrition supplies for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition in outpatient clinics and 100 metric tonnes for children hospitalized at stabilization centres; about 830 metric tonnes of nutrient supplements to fortify the nutrition of 1.4 million people, mainly women and children; and 15,000 metric tonnes of Vitamin A supplements.

Malnutrition rates among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women in Tigray, as well as in Amhara and Afar, remain alarmingly high. For example, nutrition screening campaigns conducted in recent months found that 71% of pregnant and breastfeeding women in Tigray were acutely malnourished. The figure in Afar was 45%, and in Amhara was 14%.

Access has been relatively easier in Amhara and Afar regions with WHO shipping 84 metric tonnes of supplies in late December 2021. WHO is planning to ship an additional 15-20 metric tonnes to Afar to meet the health needs of people recently displaced as a result of the ongoing fighting on the Tigray-Afar border.

WHO calls again for unfettered access to provide humanitarian aid in Tigray. We call for fuel to be allowed into Tigray urgently, with the support from national authorities and international partners, so that WHO and partners can meet the humanitarian needs of all Ethiopians.

Ethiopia: The PP wants to be vindicated while shifting blame on either the TPLF or the West

ADDIS ABABA– Although the terrorist TPLF clique has been waging a new round of offensive to Amhara and Afar states and obstructing humanitarian access to Tigray, the West has not yet dared to condemn the group’s belligerence, Ethiopia’s Ambassador to the United States said. In a press conference he gave recently, Ambassador Fitsum Arega stated that TPLF capitalized on the decision of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) and allied forces not to advance to Tigray and expanded the conflict into the two neighboring states” (ABDUREZAK MOHAMMED – ‘West refuses to denounce terrorist TPLF’s latest aggression’ 12.02.2022, The Ethiopian Herald).

Today in the Ethiopian Herald there was written an article based on Ambassador Fitsum Arega’s words where the West and International Community is supposed to denounce the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), as the Tigray Defence Force (TDF) is advancing and furthering the conflict in Afar region, which it has done since the end of January 2022. As the conflict was started in November 2020. The besieged Tigray region haven’t stopped and neither have the bureaucratic hurdles for the humanitarian assistance.

We know that the Prime Minister Abiy have spoken ill of “wheat-aid” and his allies are clearly thinking the same. They are projecting everything on its enemies. They are always blaming and claiming the TDF have done the war-crimes or alleged atrocities. However, they have never accounted for their massacres, besieged region or humanitarian blockage, which the state has continued to produce through all the months of warfare in the Tigray.

That’s why these words are striking:

The West, particularly the U.S., UK, WFP, and others have turned blind eye and deaf ear to TPLF’s aggression and are not willing to denounce it despite the fact that they have ample evidence of the raid. ”It is evident that from the beginning, the TPLF has been hindering the delivery of humanitarian assistance by kidnapping aid trucks entering Tigray and looting warehouses”. Ambassador Fitsum further noted that if the West was really concerned about human rights, they would not have chosen to remain silent in the face of such abuses” (ABDUREZAK MOHAMMED – ‘West refuses to denounce terrorist TPLF’s latest aggression’ 12.02.2022, The Ethiopian Herald).

We know the state blames the TPLF for everything. They claimed the refugees going into Sudan was terrorists too at one point. Anyone who just happens to be Tigrayan is a terrorist and everyone who defends the needs of the Tigray region is a sympathizer. Therefore, no matter what you do… you will be under fire by the authorities.

With this in mind, the vilification of everyone who happens not to be them. Just shows what sorts of the efforts the government is working with. As they blame others and projects all sins upon others. We know that the ENDF and allies have looted, destroyed and burned buildings. The ENDF and the Tripartite Alliance has raped, killed and massacred civilians in the Tigray region. These has done the vile crimes, which it is putting it on the enemies.

Therefore, when the ambassador expects the West and US to blame the TPLF. The PP and the regime in Addis Ababa should look at its own actions and decisions of late. The Ethiopian government and allies needs to be held accountable for their war-crimes, choices of man-made famine and starvation of civilians. While the TDF and their allies should be held accountable as well, but it all should be investigated by a third party to ensure the truth and due process of the possible criminal actions. This is something the regime doesn’t want and we know the Federal Government will not accept this, because the state will not implicate itself, but rather shift blame.

In a war, usually both parties violates rights and misuse power. The TDF and other allies has possibly violated international war and the Geneva convention. The same can easily be assessed by a third party and such can also be said about the Tripartite Alliance. Therefore, the Ethiopian government and its allies should care about this. Especially, if they believe everything they claim the TPLF and TDF has done, which we know isn’t true. However, I wouldn’t be shocked if they have done something wrong as well. Nevertheless, the Tripartite Alliance has the power of the state, they have international support and financial muscles to boost the war effort in Tigray.

So, the blunt of the blame and use of state to own cause of consolidating power. The PM and the Addis Ababa regime should answer for their crimes as well. They are a party and cannot only put it on others. Like they are doing here to vindicate themselves. While never ever taking anything to account. That has been done since the beginning… Peace.

Ethiopia: Oromia Liberation Front/Army (OLF-OLA) – The Net Results of Abiy’s ‘National Dialogue’ Prolongs the Ethiopian Civil War than End It! (29.01.2022)

Ethiopia: World Food Programme (WFP) states that the 2 million people are severely food insecure in the Tigray Region

Today, the World Food Programme (WFP) published a report after studying the food insecurity in Northern Ethiopia and specifically the Tigray region, which has been under a humanitarian blockade and significantly hurt by the prolonged conflict since November 2020. The Federal Government and the regime in Addis Ababa have made lots of bureaucratic hurdles plus also used their power to stop convoys to enter into the region. Therefore, the results of this is having affects…

The WFP states seriously issues and the possible starvation for up to 2 million civilians, while over half of the population is eating a poor diet and four in five eats inadequate diets. That means the food they actually have isn’t proper or substantial of what a person needs. This being the vitamins, proteins, vegetables or anything else that might be lacking in the diet. As the region is struggling to both produce and import the needed basic food items, which the civilians needs to have a proper diet. That says it all about the problematic siege of the region.

Just read these paragraphs from the WFP report, which states the dire status on food insecurity there:

The compounded effect of multiple drivers of food insecurity resulted in 83 percent (4.6 million people) of the population surveyed in the Tigray Region being classified as food insecure, of which two million (37 percent of the population) are severely food insecure. The highest prevalence of food insecurity was recorded in the North western, Eastern and Central zones. More than four in five households consume inadequate diets, and 57 percent of these households consume poor diets. Although the consumption of cereals has remained steady, the consumption of nutritious foods such as meat, vegetables and fruit has declined drastically since October 2020 on less than one day a week on average” (World Food Programme – January 2022 – Tigray Emergency Food Security Assessment, P:5).

Food security in the Tigray Region is worrisome with 83 percent of households being food insecure (of which 46.4 percent are moderately food insecure and 37.5 percent are severely food insecure). The zones recording the highest food insecurity rates are the North western zone (93 percent), Eastern zone (86 percent) and the Central zone(84 percent). These zones also recorded the highest prevalence of households consuming poor diets due to the sporadic weekly consumption of nutritious foods such as milk and dairy products (on average consumed 0.4 days on weekly basis) or proteins (0.2 days per week in Central and North West and 0 days in East). In addition, the Central and Eastern zones are among those recording the highest prevalence of households who implement emergency coping mechanisms such as selling last female animals or of households who implement emergency coping mechanisms such as selling last female animals or reproductive animals in unsustainable way (20.9 and 32.1 percent, respectively)” (World Food Programme – January 2022 – Tigray Emergency Food Security Assessment, P: 24-25).

These two paragraphs states the devastation and the suffering if the people in the Tigray region. These statistics isn’t just numbers, but actually people who are not eating properly or have the ability to eat as they should. The results of the blockade is clear and the state wants at least 2 million people to suffer. Just so it can avenge the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). That is the sad reality here. The Federal Government is proud of and states times, and times again… that its doing so, because it’s for “unity”. A “unity” only worth and valued by Amhara elites. Therefore, the starvation, the famine and the food insecurity is done on the watch of the regime in Addis Ababa.

A government and a regime that doesn’t care. This is a deliberate act… and it’s sinister, tragic and could have been avoided. However, the regime is thriving on doing this. Peace.