Ethiopian PM to lead frontline combat against rebel forces
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced his decision to lead frontline combat from Tuesday against rebel forces amid the expanding conflict in the northern part of the country…reports Asian Lite News
Ahmed called on “all patriotic Ethiopians” to join him in frontline combat against forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), reports Xinhua news agency.
“The time necessitates leading the nation through martyrdom. To this end, I will march to the battlefield from tomorrow onwards to lead our defence forces,” Ahmed said an address to the nation.
Ethiopian PM to lead frontline combat against rebel forces
“All of you who aspire to be one of Ethiopia’s most admired children, stand up for your country and join me on the frontline,” he said in a statement posted on social media late on Monday.
The conflict, which erupted on November 4 last year in the conflict-hit Tigray between forces loyal to the TPLF and the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF), has over the past months spread across neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions.
Over the past months, forces loyal to the rebel group TPLF have advanced southward into central parts of the East African country.
This was, eventually, followed by huge popular mobilisation in the Amhara and Afar regions as well as other regional states in the country to fight back the TPLF’s expansion.
Earlier this month, the Ethiopian House of People’s Representatives (HoPR) ratified a six-month state of emergency rule to contain the rebel group’s advancement and to ensure the country’s peace and security.
Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen met with US special envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman to discuss current situation concerning the expanding conflict in northern Ethiopia…reports Asian Lite News
Mekonnen, who is also Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister, said that forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) have “continued committing atrocities in the Afar and Amhara regions, creating massive humanitarian and economic damages,” according to the Ethiopian Government Communications Service.
The Deputy Prime Minister called on the US to force the TPLF to withdraw its forces from the two regions, Xinhua news agency reported.
Mekonnen said humanitarian flights will be allowed in Lalibela and Kombolcha, rebel held areas in the Amhara region.
He also announced the permission for 369 humanitarian aid trucks to enter the Tigray region.
The conflict that erupted a year ago on November 4 in Ethiopia’s northernmost Tigray region between forces loyal to the TPLF and the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF), has over the past months spread across neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions.
The two officials further discussed the conditions of US nationals across the East African country, according to the Ethiopian Government Communications Service.
Meanwhile, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said the African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson’s High Representative for the Horn of Africa, Olusegun Obasanjo, is in Ethiopia as part of the 55-member pan African bloc’s efforts to bring peaceful resolution to the conflict.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has reiterated his call for the immediate release of 10 UN staff members detained in Ethiopia…reports Asian Lite News
“As far as the Secretary-General is aware, the staff members are being held without charge, and no specific information has been provided regarding the reasons for their arrest,” said a statement made by his spokesperson.
Antonio reiterates call to immediately release UN staffers held in Ethiopia
UN personnel carry out critical and impartial work in Ethiopia, the statement said, adding the Secretary-general stresses the obligation of respecting the privileges and immunities of UN personnel, both international and Ethiopian, as well as protecting UN personnel and other humanitarian workers in Ethiopia, including from arbitrary detention.
“The course of military conflict will not bring lasting peace and stability to Ethiopia,” said the statement, adding the Guterres urges the parties to end hostilities and prioritize the welfare of civilians, noting safe and unhindered humanitarian access must be restored urgently.
UN appeals Ethiopian govt for quick release of staffers and contract truckers
The UN is appealing to the Ethiopian government for the immediate release of an unprecedented number of detained staffers and contract aid truckers….reports Asian Lite News
“We continue to actively engage with the government to try to undo this situation,” added Stephane Dujarric, the Chief Spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
“We want to see our colleagues released as quickly as possible. We want to see those contractors who have been hired by the United Nations and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) also freed as quickly as possible.”
UN appeals Ethiopian govt for quick release of staffers and contract truckers
As of Thursday, at least nine UN staff members and more than 70 truck drivers remained in detention, he said.
Asked at a regular press briefing about the number of detainees in comparison with previous detentions of UN staffers, anywhere in the world, Dujarric replied, “In my recent memory it is unprecedented in terms of numbers that we are seeing.”
The United Nations and NGOs hired the truck drivers to deliver humanitarian aid into the northernmost Tigray region of Ethiopia, the site of a year-long rebellion that has since spilled into the neighbouring areas of Afar and Amhara, Xinhua news agency reported.
Earlier in the week, published reports said the government was rounding up people identified as Tigrayans.
“From our standpoint, they are Ethiopians, our colleagues, they are staff members, regardless of what ethnicity might be listed on their national identity cards and they need to be released,” Dujarric added.
“Our humanitarian colleagues say that people in Amhara need shelter, food, and water, as well as medicines and protection, as fighting in Amhara has led to many people being newly displaced from Dessie, Kombolcha, Baati, Kamissie and other areas in Amhara,” he said.
“Tens of thousands of internally displaced people have reportedly registered in the city of Debre Berhan, with many people taking shelter in two schools there.”
Thousands of people are also reportedly displaced from Chifra and Ada’ar in Afar, he added. The majority of these people are women and children.
The Spokesman said security concerns hamper the delivery of humanitarian aid. Electricity and telecommunications were cut in Dessie and Kombolcha in Amhara on October 30. Some 915,000 people have received food assistance, and nearly 160,000 have received shelter and other items since August.
However, he added that no UN-organized humanitarian supplies could take the Semera-Abala-Mekelle route into Tigray since October 18. In Semera, Afar region, 364 trucks are being held.
Dujarric said fuel and cash shortages significantly affect the ability of the United Nations and its partners to transport supplies, including food. The lack of essential medical equipment, supplies, and vaccines across the whole of Tigray is also seriously impacting the availability of health care.
Still, humanitarian partners remain in Tigray, aiming to deliver assistance with available resources, he added.
Between October 28 and November 3, about 112,000 people received food in Tigray, well below the average of 870,000 targeted for assistance each week, he said.
Throughout the country, humanitarian operations face a funding gap of 1.3$ billion, including $350 million for the response in Tigray alone, he added.
Tens of thousands of Ethiopians gathered at the Meskel Square in the capital of Addis Ababa to denounce foreign interference and pressure in the country’s internal affairs…reports Asian Lite News
Speaking to the crowd, Addis Ababa City Mayor Adanech Abiebi stressed that neither the multifaceted external pressure nor ongoing attack by rebels would deter Ethiopians from realizing the national development aspirations, Xinhua news agency reported.
Ethiopians protest against foreign interference
The demonstration mainly aimed to showcase popular support to the national call made by the Ethiopian government to defend the country from what it described as “internal and external enemies of the country,” in particular the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and its allies.
According to Abiebi, the hidden target of ongoing foreign interference and multifaceted external pressure on the East African country is aimed at subjugating the Ethiopian state to foreign interests.
The Mayor stressed that “Ethiopians will undoubtedly avert any interference and pressure standing together in unity.”
The public demonstration came days after the Ethiopian House of People’s Representatives (HoPR) endorsed a six-month nationwide state of emergency rule amid expanding conflict in the northern part of the country.
The decision to impose the state of emergency rule also came in line with the national call to support the Ethiopian Army in the ongoing fighting against forces loyal to the TPLF, including the call to veteran members of the Ethiopian Army to fight alongside the Ethiopian Defence forces.
Over the past several days, the TPLF declared control of key cities in Amhara region, Dessie and Kombolcha, some 380 km north of the capital. This was, eventually, followed by huge popular mobilization by the Amhara and Afar regions to fight back the TPLF’s expansion.
Since the early hours of November 4, 2020, the Ethiopian government has been undertaking military operations against the TPLF.
In late June, the government announced a unilateral ceasefire in Tigray, but forces loyal to the TPLF soon took control of much of the area in the region, including the regional capital.
The conflict has since expanded to Tigray’s neighboring Amhara and Afar regions.
The HoPR, the lower house of the Ethiopian parliament, has designated the TPLF as a terrorist organization.
The Ethiopian government had previously assigned an interim administration in Tigray after the ouster of the TPLF, which used to rule the region.
Ethiopian capital starts 2-day weapons registration drive
Authorities in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa announced the launch of a two-day weapons registration drive…reports Asian Lite News
“Any resident of Addis Ababa starting from today (Tuesday) has to register weapons it has in its hands in a two days period to the nearest police stations regardless whether the weapon was registered in prior times or not,” Xinhua news agency quoted Chief of Addis Ababa city Peace and Security Administration Bureau Kenea Yadeta as saying.
Ethiopian capital starts 2-day weapons registration drive
“All residents have to be organised in blocks and neighbourhoods to protect their home area’s peace and security in coordination with the security forces,” Yadeta was quoted as saying by state media outlet Ethiopia News Agency.
The Addis Ababa security chief also announced abrupt security checks will be conducted across various parts of Ethiopia’s capital and warned individuals to stop disseminating fake information on social media platforms.
“Irreversible measures will be taken on entities that work to create gaps and suspicions between the government and the people,” Yadeta said.
The heightened security measures in Ethiopia’s capital come amid reports of intensifying clashes between federal government allied forces and forces allied with the Tigray People’s Liberation Army (TPLF) in northern Ethiopia.
The TPLF and the Ethiopian National Defense Force backed by allied forces have been engaged in a one-year-long conflict that has reportedly left tens of thousands of people dead, hundreds of thousands displaced, and millions in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
The Ethiopian House of People’s Representatives, the lower house of Parliament, had previously designated the TPLF as a terrorist organisation.
Amid intensifying conflict in the northern parts of the East African country, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Sunday called on all able Ethiopians to participate in the ongoing fighting against the rebel group.
Ethiopia govt announces nationwide state emergency
The Ethiopian government has announced a nationwide state of emergency rule amid the ongoing conflict in the northern part of the country…reports Asian Lite News
The decision was made by the Ethiopian Council of Ministers, which is expected to be endorsed by the Ethiopian House of People’s Representatives (HoPR) within the coming two days period, reports Xinhua n.
The state of emergency will remain in force for six months.
Ethiopia govt announces nationwide state emergency
The move came amid deteriorating conditions in northern parts of the country, as the conflict that erupted a year ago in the Tigray region between the Ethiopian federal government and forces loyal to the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) expanded to neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions, and eventually approaching to central parts of the country in recent weeks.
Since the early hours of November 4, 2020, the Ethiopian government has been undertaking military operations against the TPLF.
However, the government in late June announced a unilateral ceasefire in the country’s conflict-affected northernmost Tigray regional state. Forces loyal to the TPLF soon took control of much of the area in the region, including the regional capital.
The conflict has since then expanded to the Amhara and Afar regions, neighbouring Tigray.
The HoPR, the lower house of the Ethiopian Parliament, had previously designated the TPLF as a terrorist organisation.
The rapidly deteriorating situation in northern Ethiopia has severely impacted civilians and reportedly resulted in large-scale displacements and relief needs…reports Asian Lite News
Fighting and hostilities in and around Dessie and Kombolcha towns in the Amhara region over the weekend reportedly resulted in large-scale displacement and increasing humanitarian needs, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The two towns were already hosting a large number of displaced people from nearby areas, Xinhua news agency reported.
“The escalation of hostilities risks worsening the already dire humanitarian situation in Tigray, Amhara and Afar, where millions of people need urgent life-saving assistance,” the OCHA said.
Antonio Guterres
“Humanitarian supplies, including food, nutrition, medicine, water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter and non-food items are reportedly available, but the delivery of urgent humanitarian assistance has been hampered by ongoing insecurity,” the office said.
Restrictions imposed on the delivery of humanitarian supplies into Tigray continue, the OCHA said. Since early August, fuel for the humanitarian response has not entered Tigray, forcing UN humanitarian partners to suspend or significantly reduce humanitarian programs.
The movement of humanitarian workers in and out of Tigray through road remains restricted. The office added that personnel movement by air remains suspended.
The United Nations continues to call on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and facilitate the free and safe movement of humanitarian supplies and personnel as required by international humanitarian law, the OCHA said.
The Ethiopian federal government has confirmed targeted air strikes in the country’s conflict-hit Tigray region…reports Asian Lite News
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which used to rule the region, had accused the government forces over allegedly targeting civilian areas, reports Xinhua news agency.
“Contrary to the misrepresentation, the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) air strikes have specifically targeted TPLF arms manufacturing and armament repair sites,” the government’s fact check portal confirmed on Wednesday.
Ethiopian govt confirms targeted air strikes in Tigray
“The ENDF’s surgical operations are aimed at destroying illegal caches of heavy weaponry and armaments at selected sites,” it added.
The air strikes came amid the expanding conflict in the region.
On Monday, the government had disclosed that at least 30 civilians were killed due to an attack by rebel forces as the conflict expands to neighbouring regions.
The government said forces loyal to the TPLF had recently launched fresh attacks on Amhara and Afar regions, neighbouring Tigray, “plundering property and starving children, mothers, and the elderly to death”.
Since the early hours of November 4, 2020, the Ethiopian government has been undertaking military operations against the TPLF.
The Ethiopian House of People’s Representatives, the lower house of Parliament, had previously designated the TPLF as a terrorist organisation.
The Ethiopian federal government has refuted the alleged airstrike targeting civilian areas in the Tigray region’s capital Mekelle and its surroundings…reports Asian Lite News
The accusation was made by Getachew Reda, executive committee member and spokesperson for the outlawed the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), in a Twitter post that the alleged airstrike on Monday attacked “civilian targets in and outside Mekelle”, reports Xinhua news agency
Ethiopian govt refutes alleged airstrike in Mekelle
The Ethiopian federal government, however, refuted the accusation.
Legesse Tulu, Ethiopian government spokesperson said the federal government would not attack its own city.
Meanwhile, the Ethiopian government on Monday disclosed that at least 30 civilians were killed due to an attack by rebel forces.
According to a statement by the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, forces loyal to the TPLF had recently launched fresh attacks on Amhara and Afar regions, neighbouring the Tigray region, “plundering property and starving children, mothers, and the elderly to death”.
“They have indiscriminately targeted and shelled civilian villages namely Chifra and Wuchale lately and killed more than 30 civilians at Wuchale alone,” the statement read.
The government also expressed its concern over lack of response from the international community in condemning the perpetuated atrocities of the TPLF.
The House of People’s Representatives, the lower house of Parliament, had previously designated the TPLF as a terrorist organization.
