HORN OF AFRICA Situation Report No. 23 – IDN-InDepthNews

By EEPA, Brussels

Europe with Africa external program is a Belgium-based Center of Experts with in-depth knowledge, publications and networks, specializing in issues of peacebuilding, refugee protection and resilience in the Horn of Africa. EEPA 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.

It 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.

International dimension

• The US State Department claims it has credible reports of the presence of Eritrean troops in Tigray. Eritrea’s participation would confirm that the conflict is regional. “This is a serious development,” a spokesman for the US State Department said in an emailed statement. “We urge these troops to withdraw immediately.” Both Eritrea and Ethiopia deny the presence.
• Aid workers murdered. EU Commissioner Janez Lenarčič condemns “the murder of four humanitarian workers in a refugee camp in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, including three staff from the Danish Refugee Council (RDC) and one from the International Committee for Refugees. Rescue (IRC) “.

• The Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives McCaul, Engel, Bass & Smith respond to reports that a UN convoy was attacked: “… the situation on the ground is getting worse. Lack of security protections and opaque approval processes are blocking critical humanitarian assessment teams and preventing desperately needed food and supplies from reaching displaced populations. We ask the Government of Ethiopia to guarantee safe and unrestricted humanitarian access without the humanitarian aid being politicized. “
• The UK and Denmark say they are deeply concerned about the deaths of DRC and IRC personnel who have been killed in Tigray. Call on humanitarian workers to be fully protected
• The Ethiopian government claims it is returning Eritrean refugees to the camps from which they have fled in the northern region of Tigray, a move that alarms the United Nations refugee agency.
• The Eritrean organization Arbi Harnet (Freedom Friday) claims that 300 Eritrean refugees who fled the fighting in Tigray, including from refugee camps under international protection, were detained at IOM offices in the Bole area of ​​Addis and have been threatened to return to force
• The process is presented as a voluntary return and they are being held in the IOM voluntary return registration center. In a smuggled message, refugees have asked for help to stop this.
• He reported that the Ethiopian government has taken control of one of IOM’s refugee offices. This is reportedly being used to return Eritrean refugees to camps in
• According to online sources, some refugees tried to flee from the IOM center and were caught, brutally beaten and forced to return to the center for safety.
• IOM confirms that “one of the three IOM centers in Addis Ababa was taken over by the Ethiopian Government Agency for Refugee and Returned Affairs (ARRA) on December 3. IOM has not had the authority to manage, supervise or participate in any activities carried out by the authorities at the center since then “
• The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, says he has received an “overwhelming number of disturbing reports of Eritrean refugees in Tigray being murdered, kidnapped and returned to Eritrea.” He adds “If confirmed, these actions would constitute a major violation of international standards.”
• Babar Baloch, UNHCR spokesperson, reiterated the UN’s joint call for all parties to “allow freedom of movement to affected civilians seeking assistance, security and protection within the Tigray region or outside affected areas.” “This includes the right to cross international borders to seek asylum,” he told reporters at
• UN OCHA states that food rations for displaced people in Tigray have been exhausted and reiterates an urgent call for unconditional and safe humanitarian access to those affected
• Ethiopia’s state of emergency fact-check indicates that Eritrean refugees in the Tigray camps face a “direct fault”
• The president of the International Federation of the Red Cross declares that he is deeply concerned about the situation in Tigray: lack of access to civilians, hospitals without water and electricity, lack of medicines.
• Amnesty International states that aid must be allowed into refugee camps: “We are on the brink of a humanitarian crisis and the federal authorities are making it worse.”

Military situation

• Alert from generally reliable Twitter source: Shelling in Tembien, Tigray, probably to destroy heavy artillery, known to be present there; Diplomats in Addis Ababa do not have confirmation, there are multiple reliable sources but there is no confirmation from the field in Tigray, since due to the closure of sources in the region they are mostly
• The Ethiopian Federal Police Commission has issued arrest warrants for 40 former members of the Ethiopian Air Force, Defense Forces and police officers who had deserted and who had deserted. The list includes Lieutenant General Tsadikan G / Tinsay, a former retired army chief of staff. They are suspected of coordinating the kidnapping of members of the ENDF and members of the federal police on November 4 by taking over the mission of “anti-peace elements based in Tigray.”
• The TPLF has said it continues to fight on multiple fronts (Reuters).

Human rights

• Online messages of threats against family members as punishment for association in Ethiopia, a well-documented practice in Eritrea, according to

Situation in Tigray

• The Ethiopian government has announced that 44 food trucks arrived in Shire on 8 December. Also, 30 trucks arrived at Mekelle; more trucks are being shipped with medical assistance
• The announcement by the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Peace that 1.2 million tonnes of food aid, including wheat, had reached Mekelle is unrealistic, the state claims.
• The Ethiopian Administration for Refugee and Returned Affairs (ARRA) claims that the TPLF has looted and destroyed the refugee camp coordination office in Shire. It was reported that the files and materials

Situation in Ethiopia

• The Addis Standard has said that Lidetu Ayalew has been released from police custody. The Ethiopian politician had been detained since July

Disclaimer: All information in this status report is presented as a smooth up-to-date report, to the best of the authors’ knowledge and understanding at the time of publication. EEPA does not claim the information is correct, but verifies to the best of its ability under the circumstances. The publication is weighed on the basis of interest to understand the potential impacts of events (or perceptions of them) on the situation. Check all the information with updates and other means. EEPA is not responsible for the use of the information or the impact of it. All reported information comes from third parties and the content of all reported and linked information remains the sole responsibility of these third parties. report to This e-mail address is protected against spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.any additional information and corrections.

https://twitter.com/WainnieT/status/1337491258219130892

https://gop-foreignaffairs.house.gov/press-release/mccaul-engel-bass-smith-on-humanitarian-access-in-tigray/ https://twitter.com/SOEFactCheck/status/1337349284623241217/photo/1

https://eritreahub.org/hundreds-of-eritrean-refugees-held-at-addis-airport-threatened-with-deportation