[ad_1]
BRUSSELS (IDN) – The Belgium-based Europe with Africa External Program has produced the latest report on the situation in the Horn of Africa. EEPA is a center of expertise with in-depth knowledge, publications and networks, specializing in peacebuilding, refugee protection and resilience issues in the Horn of Africa. He has published extensively on issues related to the movement and / or human trafficking of refugees in the Horn of Africa and on the Central Mediterranean Route.
EEPA cooperates with a wide network of universities, research organizations, civil society and experts from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda and throughout Africa. In-depth key posts can be accessed on the website.
Regional situation
According to the New York Times (NYT), Eritrea “joined the war in northern Ethiopia” in November and its forces “razed the refugee camps” where Eritrean refugees were being taken under international protection. The soldiers committed “human rights violations”.
Ethiopian PM Abiy, and Pres Isayas, Eritrea, deny the presence of Eritrean troops. On November 30, Ahmed told the Ethiopian parliament that Eritrea “had fed, clothed and armed the retreating Ethiopian soldiers.”
The NYT interviewed “two dozen humanitarian workers, refugees, United Nations officials and diplomats, including a senior American official.” Satellite images, analyzed by the NYT, have corroborated the interview findings.
The NYT reported that clashes occurred in the refugee camps for Eritreans in Tigray between Eritrean soldiers and forces aligned with the TPLF. The camp’s main water tank was “riddled with bullets.”
According to the NYT: “Eritrean soldiers looted aid supplies, stole vehicles and set fire to fields full of crops and a nearby wooded area used by refugees to collect wood.”
After the fight, Eritrean soldiers singled out dozens of refugees and “forced (them) to cross the border into Eritrea.” Refoulement (forced return) is prohibited by international law as a fundamental principle. The refugees had fled Eritrea, a harsh and autocratic regime.
One hundred thousand Eritrean refugees were hosted before the start of military operations in the camps of Tigray, Ethiopia. The New York Times quotes witnesses as saying that the soldiers “stormed the field” on November 19 and were Eritreans. This resulted in “chaos”, described as “days of looting, punishment and bloodshed”.
A highly credible source in Eritrea informed the Situation Report that an estimated 7,000 Eritrean refugees have been forcibly returned to Eritrea and are being held in “a special camp” in Eritrea. The report comes from a reliable source from the field in Asmara, Eritrea.
A report that an EU official stated that the looted goods were “openly sold in Eritrea’s capital, Asmara.”
Reports obtained from Asmara confirm the arrival of looted goods, including from factories and industries, in Ashogolgol (Asmara). Catholic church leaders and Eritrean elders continue to advise Eritreans not to buy these products, even if they are cheap. Many citizens are reportedly following this guide.
More reports of looting by Eritrean soldiers are coming in. The BBC has interviewed an analyst who says sources within Tigray are detailing that Eritrean soldiers are involved in extensive looting.
The New York Times also reported that witnesses say the Eritrean soldiers were wearing ENDF uniforms. This is not the first time this has been reported.
The NYT reports an “Eritrean attack on a church in Dinglet, East Tigray, on November 30. According to one account, 35 people whose names were given were killed.”
Unconfirmed reports that senior Eritrean army officers, L. Colonel Fisahaye Gebreab and Birhane Haile (Chief of Radio Communication) are killed in a fight with Tigrayan forces in Tigray.
Unconfirmed reports that in Nebelet, a town near Adwa, Tigray, Eritrean troops killed 54 civilians.
Unconfirmed report on social media that some Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) in Mekelle are disguised in Tigray TPLF military uniforms and that they are harassing residents.
Unconfirmed they report that on the border with Sudan, Eritrean forces and Ethiopian soldiers from Amhara wear TPLF uniforms to mislead parties to the conflict.
Tigray refugees in Sudan say they will not return to Ethiopia or Tigray, even if they are told to return, because they do not feel safe.
Fighting continues between the aligned forces of Sudan and Ethiopia. The West Gondar region of Ethiopia has accused Sudan of stealing and destroying properties worth one billion Birr (25 million euros) in the area. More Ethiopian, Eritrean and Sudanese troops are moving into the area.
A written statement by the Sudanese Refugee Commissioner, dated December 23, 2020, of a ‘prima facie’ approach to the recognition of refugees arriving from Ethiopia after November 5.
Reported situation in Ethiopia
A Reuters cameraman was arrested in Addis Ababa, in the presence of his wife and 3 children, and will be held for a minimum of two weeks. No charges have been filed. Reuters has strongly condemned the arrest. The arrest follows the December 16 beating of Reuters photographer Tiksa Negeri by two police officers.
The Addis Standard reports renewed violence in the Afar and Ethiopian Somaliland regions. Militias from both regions have carried out attacks in the other region. Several civilians have died.
Unconfirmed Reports say 29 Ethiopian policemen were killed by the Oromia Liberation Front (OLF).
Situation in Tigray
The mental cost of workers and other helpers is increasing, MSF said. You are taking steps to address it. The selection and care of wounded soldiers has caused especially traumatic stress.
Banks have reopened in Mekelle. They were closed for more than a month, preventing people from having access to the money they need to buy what little food is available. Today customers were told to only deposit and not withdraw money. Today there were large lines of people waiting to withdraw money.
The ADP, a local Tigray party, has rejected a federal offer to join Tigra’s interim provisional government. They cite the presence of Eritrean soldiers in Tigray, the killings and other human rights violations, and the destruction of public and private infrastructure as reasons for not joining.
Reported international dimension
The EU calls for an investigation into the murder of 100 people in Benishangul-Gumuz last week.
Egypt’s water minister says Egypt will prioritize cooperation with the countries of the Nile basin. [IDN-InDepthNews – 29 December 2020]
Image Credit: Jörg Busse
IDN is the flagship agency of the international non-profit press union.
Visit us on Facebook and Twitter.
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You are free to share, mix, modify and develop it for non-commercial purposes. Please give due credit.
Links of interest
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/28/world/africa/Ethiopia-Eritrea-Tigray.html?referringSource=articleShare
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-55295650
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-arrest/ethiopian-police-arrest-reuters-cameraman-idUSKBN2920AD
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1252402?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma&__twitter_impression=true
https://addisstandard.com/news-local-official-in-amhara-region-accused-sudan-of-invading-large-swaths-of-land-stealing-destroying-more-than-25-m-worth- property/
[ad_2]
