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This report is produced by OCHA Ethiopia and covers the period from November 3 to November 6, 2020. The next report will be published in due course.
HIGHLIGHT
• Tension between the federal government and the ruling Tigray party (TPLF) has been mounting since the latter unilaterally held regional elections on 9 September despite the constitutional postponement of national elections due to the pandemic. This escalation eventually led to an armed conflict in the early hours of November 4, 2020.
• The Tigray region is home to approximately 600,000 people who depend on food assistance (more than 400,000 food insecure, 100,000 internally displaced and nearly 100,000 refugees). In addition, 1 million people are assisted by the safety net.
• The blocking of air and land accesses to the region, as well as the blackout of regional communications, are significantly affecting humanitarian operations.
• The disruption in the distribution of humanitarian supplies is contributing to the worsening humanitarian context, as it prevents timely and adequate assistance to vulnerable communities.
• We urge all parties to the conflict, at all levels, to grant uninterrupted humanitarian access to the affected population, as well as to existing humanitarian beneficiaries (food insecurity, refugees, internally displaced persons and migrants) and to all areas affected by the plague. of desert locusts.
• We ask donor partners and friends of Ethiopia to urgently mobilize additional resources to address potential new needs as a result of the conflict, as well as existing needs outlined in the Humanitarian Response Plan (https://bit.ly/2JEroEd) . Despite growing humanitarian needs, Ethiopia’s humanitarian appeal is only 49.4% funded, including $ 187 million allocated by the Government.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE SITUATION
In the early hours of November 4, Ethiopian Defense Forces (EDF) and security forces of the ruling Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) clashed near the Mekelle airport. A military clash was also reported near Dansha, in western Tigray. An official statement by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on November 4 announced that the Fed had been ordered to launch a military offensive against the TPLF in Tigray. According to an official statement by the Prime Minister, “The operations of the federal defense forces underway in northern Ethiopia have clear, limited and achievable objectives: to restore the rule of law and constitutional order, and to safeguard the rights of Ethiopians to lead a life anywhere in the country. “The Prime Minister also called on the Ethiopian people” to follow the situation calmly, monitor possible localized outbreaks and support the national army. “
As of November 6, the Council of Ministers decreed a state of emergency for the Tigray region in accordance with article 93 (1) (a) of the Ethiopian Constitution and the Parliament approved it unanimously. The SoE is for a period of six months and an SoE Working Group was established, led by the Chief of Staff of the armed forces and accountable to the Prime Minister. The Working Group is mandated to: a) disarm the security forces in the Tigray region and maintain the peace and security of the civilian population; b) impose restrictions on modes of transport; c) impose a curfew; d) arrest those suspected of participating in illegal activities that violate the constitutional order; e) use proportionate force to restore public order; f) take the necessary measures to achieve the objectives of the state of emergency.
Roads in and to the region are cut, flights are banned, and communication lines in the region are closed. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and some opposition parties have called for the protection of civilians to be guaranteed. The Government, including the defense forces, assured the population that precautions are being taken to guarantee the safety of civilians. Large movements of security forces into the northern region have been reported.
Today, November 7, the Federation Chamber of Ethiopia has voted to establish a transitional government in the regional state of Tigray.
