Could a National Dialogue Solve Ethiopia’s Political Crisis?

USIP | It is time to talk about the common challenges that every Ethiopian faces. While the recent conflict in Tigray renewed international focus on Ethiopia, more challenges lie ahead, including elections now scheduled for June 5. The state of Ethiopia’s political transition is contested, and the country remains polarized. However, as Ethiopian scholars Emebet Getachew, […]

‘Disturbing’ allegations of rape in Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict, UN

AFP | Yahoo News The UN says it has received “disturbing” reports of sexual violence and abuse in Ethiopia’s conflict-hit Tigray region, including of individuals forced to rape members of their own family. Pramila Patten, the UN’s special representative on sexual violence in conflict, said she was greatly concerned by serious allegations from the northern […]

After two months of war, Tigray faces starvation

The Economist | Ethiopia’s government appears to be blocking food deliveries to the region No image better symbolises the fall from power of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (tplf), the party that had called the shots in Ethiopia for almost three decades. Sebhat Nega, one of its founders, was pictured this month in handcuffs, wearing a […]

Is Egypt behind Sudanese escalation on border with Ethiopia

Source: Al-Monitor | Khalid Hassan With the intensifying border conflict between Sudan and Ethiopia and the success of the Sudanese army in controlling the border areas where Ethiopian farmers have been living for decades, Ethiopia has been hurling accusations of a third party planning, funding and executing the recent confrontations on the border between the […]

UK backs Sudan economic reforms with over $50 million

Source: AP | Noha Elhennawy  Britain’s foreign secretary announced Thursday that his government would offer more than $50 million to help poor Sudanese families as their government embarks upon major austerity measures to revive its battered economy, Sudan’s state news agency reported. On a visit to Khartoum, Dominic Raab and Sudanese Minister of Finance and […]

Situation Report EEPA HORN No. 63 – 22 January 2021

Europe External Programme with Africa is a Belgium-based Centre of Expertise with in-depth knowledge, publications, and networks, specialised in issues of peace building, refugee protection and resilience in the Horn of Africa. EEPA has published extensively on issues related to movement and/or human trafficking of refugees in the Horn of Africa and on the Central Mediterranean […]

Ethiopia’s government appears to be wielding hunger as a weapon – Famine crimes

The Economist | A rebel region is being starved into submission Ethiopia has suffered famines in the past. Many foreigners know this; in 1985 about one-third of the world’s population watched a pop concert to raise money for starving Ethiopians. What is less well understood is that poor harvests lead to famine only when malign rulers […]

Ethiopia Denies Somalia Forces Involved in Fighting in Tigray

Bloomberg | By Simon Marks and Mohammed Omar Ahmed Somali lawmaker has asked president to investigate issue Claim follows reports that Eritrea forces deployed in Ethiopia Ethiopia’s government denied that Somali soldiers fought alongside federal troops in the ongoing conflict in its Tigray region. The head of Somalia’s parliamentary committee on foreign affairs on Jan. […]

Ethiopia operating Chinese mobile bridges

Source: Defence Web Ethiopia’s military appears to have acquired a number of mobile bridges from China. Photos posted on Twitter last month show at least three truck-mounted mobile bridges being transported along a road in Ethiopia. They appear to be Norinco GQL-111 scissor-type bridges transported and launched over the rear of an 8×8 cross-country truck […]

Western concern mounts over Ethiopian crisis

©FT | UK, US and EU push for humanitarian relief to get to the war-ravaged Tigray region Ethiopia’s reputation is “being tarnished” by the military conflict, UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab has said, ahead of his visit to the east African country on Friday to urge Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to allow unrestricted humanitarian access […]