[212][62] On 5 November, the TPLF, OLA and other rebel groups declared the creation of a nine-group coalition, called the United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces. The UAE, being a regional powerhouse has shown willingness to get involved in different conflicts including the Yemen war, the Syrian civil war and the Libyan civil war. On Friday, even a UN aid plane couldnt land in Mekelle due to the ongoing airstrikes being carried out by the Ethiopian forces. But the state-appointed Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has documented extrajudicial killings by government troops. Photo: Clara Margais/dpa, 17 January 2023, United Kingdom, Wolverhampton: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah warms up during the English FA Cup third round replay soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool at Molineux Stadium. July 2021 to present. [383][384] By December 2021, the Committee to Protect Journalists described both Ethiopia and Eritrea as the worst "jailers of journalists" in sub-Saharan Africa. Along with that, an estimated 250 motorized water pumping systems have been out of order, and the status of 11,000 hand pumps in rural areas was unknown. [334] On 25 June 2021, three Mdecins Sans Frontires workers were found murdered near their car in Tigray. The country is looking to industrialise. Since the early 2000s, the Ethiopian economy has grown rapidly and has consistently clocked a GDP growth of over 10 percent. Ethiopia is banking on Russia for defence needs and. Between 13-15 September, Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters shot dead unarmed civilians they suspected of supporting federal forces and local militias, survivors have told the Guardian. [161] The same month, Somalia's information minister, Osman Abukar Dubbe, confirmed Somali soldiers were training in Eritrea, but denied any of these troops had been sent to Tigray. [184] Following the TDF's rapid advances, Abiy threatened to resume war with Tigray and crush the rebels, raising fears of genocide. [346], By the summer of 2022, the government blockade of essential services to Tigray was still in place, and the humanitarian situation remained severe, with roughly 13 million people being in need of food aid. The government fears the Ethiopian crisis will affect stability in the region and neighboring countries. Backed by the UAE and even the African Union, Ethiopia has managed to decimate the US-backed Tigray fighters with relentless aerial bombardment. "Tigray has handed over its heavy weapons as part of its commitment to implementing the #Pretoria agreement" that was signed between Ethiopia's government and Tigrayan rebels, Tigray People's. Such clear support from Russia and the UAE is allowing Ethiopian troops to make rapid advances against the Tigray fighters. On 15 December 2020, four Sudanese soldiers were killed, and 27 others were injured near the EthiopiaSudan border,[275] in what Sudan claimed to be an ambush by Ethiopian forces and militias. [122] As tension continued to grow, a brigadier general appointed by Abiy was prevented by the Tigray government from taking up his military post. Nearly six million people in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region are held hostage, as bargaining chips by warlords in control of the region. [172] On 21 May, Ethiopia's military prosecutors convicted 3 soldiers of rape and pressed charges against over 50 others suspected of killing civilians in Tigray or committing rape and other forms of sexual violence. [254] Tigray mobilized its citizens too, calling on every able-bodied person to join the fight. [citation needed] In Debretsion Gebremichaels order to withdraw all his forces from Tigray borders in December 2021, he mentioned "the drones provided by foreign powers" as a major factor that prompted his decision. However, no one except the US wants to support the TPLF fighters in their bid to break up the nation of Ethiopia. Nairobi (AFP) - Tigrayan rebels have begun handing in their heavy weapons, a key part of an agreement signed more than two months ago to end a deadly conflict in northern Ethiopia, a . In response to the killings, Sudan started to build up its military along the border with Ethiopia. This is how the Gulf nation is also known to support the Khalifa Haftar regime in Libya against the Turkey-backed regime. [109][110], Throughout 2020, tensions between the federal government and the TPLF escalated in the months leading up to November. News/Politics 2023-01-06T11:02:07.439Z. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that there had been acts of ethnic cleansing in Tigray. Egypt has joined BRICS de-dollarisation campaign, The real reason why US denied giving Abram tanks to Ukraine. Image Credit: AFP. AFP. [30] After a number of peace and mediation proposals in the intervening years, Ethiopia and the Tigrayan rebel forces agreed to a cessation of hostilities on 2 November, which went into effect the day after;[50] Eritrea was not a party to the agreement, however, and their status has remained unclear. Fears Ethiopia Purging Ethnic Tigrayan Officers From Its Peacekeeping Missions", "Ethiopia: Persistent, credible reports of grave violations in Tigray underscore urgent need for human rights access Bachelet", "Men forced to rape family members in Ethiopia's Tigray region, says UN", "UNFPA Ethiopia Response to the Tigray Crisis - Situation report", "Sexual violence as weapon of war spreads to new regions in Ethiopia", "UN experts detail extensive war crimes amid Tigray conflict", "Ethiopia: Troops and militia rape, abduct women and girls in Tigray conflict new report", "Ethiopia: "I don't know if they realized I was a person": Rape and sexual violence in the conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia", "United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms. Pramila Patten, urges all parties to prohibit the use of sexual violence and cease hostilities in the Tigray region of Ethiopia", "Tigrayan forces killed civilians, gang-raped dozens: Amnesty", "Tigray rebels gang-raped women and girls in Ethiopia conflict, says Amnesty Int'l", "Tigrayan forces raped women in Ethiopia's Amhara region - Amnesty", "Ethiopia: MSF staff attacked after witnessing killings by soldiers in Tigray", "Three MSF employees killed in Ethiopia's Tigray, aid agency says", "Witnesses: Airstrike in Ethiopia's Tigray kills more than 50", "Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: Four aid workers killed", "Aid worker killed in Tigray as humanitarians are targeted", "Ethiopia: Three MSF staff killed in attack", "Three MSF workers 'brutally murdered' in Ethiopia's Tigray", "Report of the EHRC/OHCHR Joint Investigation into Alleged Violations of International Human Rights, Humanitarian and Refugee Law Committed by all Parties to the Conflict in the Tigray Region of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia", "482 Resolution on the Fact-Finding Mission to the Tigray Region of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia ACHPR/Res. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, congratulated Ethiopias Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who got re-elected to lead his country for another five-year term. The US has been backing the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) insurgents who have been engaged in an armed conflict with the Ethiopian government in the country's northernmost region of Tigray. The Tigray fighters might have the upper hand, but capturing Addis Ababa will not be easy. [255] Amidst the three-front offensive launched by Ethiopia and Eritrea, estimates put the number of Ethiopian casualties at over 90,000 in a single month, while Tigrayan casualties were also deemed incredibly high. . The Tigray region has been at the epicenter of an ethnic civil war for nearly a year now. Tedros of trying to procure arms for the Tigray state's dominant political party in addition to . They claim the area was taken from them by force in 1992 after TPLF forces overthrew the communist PDRE government and divided the country into ethnic regional states. The Biden administration has again found itself on the losing side this time in East Africas Ethiopia. [360], UNICEF stated that by the end of September 2022, around 574,000 more people in Afar, Amhara and Tigray were left displaced after fighting resumed in August 2022; they also reported that over 870,000 had become refugees. [372][373], Researchers found that groups use tactics such as "copy and paste" campaigns hosted on websites, which include instructions for opening new accounts, copying and pasting pre-written tweets, and tagging influencers. Ethiopia is no small African nation that can be crippled by American intervention. to solve its own power problems and also those of its neigbours. It is pushing a misleading narrative that projects the Tigray fighters as victims and the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed as some sort of an aggressor. [65] Rapid mobilization of troops soon followed, with Ethiopia, Eritrea and Tigray reportedly organizing hundreds of thousands of troops against each other by October the same year. [271][272][273] From 17 to 25 November alone, Eritrea was reported to have destroyed 241 houses and killed at least 111 people.[274]. Ethiopia's military accused World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday of supporting and trying to procure arms and diplomatic backing for Tigray state's dominant . [164], On 9 January 2021, Ethiopian TV reported that 300 refugees in Hitsats camp were executed by the TPLF. Tigrayan spokesperson Getachew Reda said its forces had seen no fighting in Afar and had redeployed to the adjoining Amhara Region. It is not quite clear what UAE gets in return. He pointed out that Sudan and its army do not interfere in the internal issues of neighboring Ethiopia, calling on the leadership in Addis Ababa to work on resolving their conflicts without dragging Khartoum in them. "[380], On 20 May 2022, Ethiopian law enforcement began arresting journalists en masse, with 4,500 people in the Amhara Region alone being taken into custody. [154][53] This retreat was partially caused by the fact that a large portion of the TDF's artillery had been destroyed by air strikes. [246][247][248] The TDF had, thus far, largely resisted the offensive, and reportedly launched a counterattack to retake Sheraro. Answer (1 of 8): Tigray rebels were preparing themselves for at least three years to fight against Ethiopian force. [2] Heavy fighting in western Afar displaced over 54,000 people, and resulted in the TDF reportedly capturing three districts in the region. [111] The terms of federal and regional lawmakers, as well as the executive branch, were then extended by federal parliament beyond the October 2020 constitutional mandates. Some articles state that the war began on 4 November; A few EEPA articles begin with the following injunction: ", formally agreed to a cessation of hostilities, attacked the Northern Command headquarters, Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement, National Intelligence and Security Service, United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces, Tigrayan peace process Ceasefire period (March 2022August 2022), National Intelligence and Security Agency, War crimes in the Tigray War Crimes against humanity, Ethnic discrimination in Ethiopia Tigray War, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, "Ethiopia Will Explode if It Doesn't Move Beyond Ethnic-Based Politics", "Hate Speech on Facebook Is Pushing Ethiopia Dangerously Close to a Genocide", "Regional Special Forces Pose Threat to Peace and Security in Ethiopia", "Ethiopia's Tigray forces enter neighbouring Afar region, Afar says", "Ethiopia's Amhara state rallies residents to fight Tigrayans", "Three more regions reinforce Ethiopia army, Amhara against Tigray forces", "Ethiopia: Fear Tigray conflict could trigger all-out war", "Ethiopian PM confirms Eritrean troops entered Tigray during conflict", "Eritrea confirms its troops are fighting in Ethiopia's Tigray", "UAE air bridge provides military support to Ethiopia gov't", "Foreign Drones Tip the Balance in Ethiopia's Civil War", "Ethiopian prime minister in UAE as Tigray war rages on", "Ethiopian anti-government alliance says plans to dismantle government by force or negotiations", "Tigray, other groups form alliance against Ethiopia's leader", "Ethiopia armed group says it has alliance with Tigray forces", "Leaked EU Diplomatic Cable: Delegation of the European Union to Ethiopia", "The Sidama National Liberation Front to Join the Coalition of Resistance by the Federalist Forces", "Eight Groups Join Tigray Rebels Vowing to Oust Ethiopia's Leader", "An Afar-based armed group parts its ways with TPLF-led alliance", "Benishangul Gumuz regional govt, rebel group sign peace agreement", "African Union: Agreement reached on permanent cessation of hostilities in Ethiopia", "Combatants in Ethiopia's Tigray war agree to stop fighting", "Warring parties in Ethiopia agree on 'permanent cessation of hostilities', "Ethiopia combatants sign deal to start implementing truce", https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3983166/ethiopia-truce-implementation-start-%E2%80%98immediately%E2%80%99-mediator-says, "Ethiopia Rivals Agree on Humanitarian Access for Tigray", "Ethiopia's Tigray War: A Deadly, Dangerous Stalemate", "On 'Rooftop of Africa,' Ethiopia's Troops Hunt Fugitive Former Rulers", "Wieder Luftangriffe der Armee in Tigray", "Ethiopia civil war: Hyenas scavenge on corpses as Tigray forces retreat", "Ethiopia's Tigray conflict: Thousands reported killed in clashes", "After battlefield reversals, what next for Ethiopia's Tigray war? Its humanitarian branch, the Relief Society of Tigray (REST), established in 1978, received large amounts of international humanitarian aid for famine victims and small-scale development projects in liberated Tigray. Obamas legacy is painted as a rosy, revolutionary and absolutely utopic one by the American mainstream media. [149] Fighting between Tigray and Eritrea took place in Adi Quala, Zalembesa, Taruna, Ali Tina, Wadqomdi, and Badme. [191] The next day, Lalibela was reported to have been seized by Tigrayan forces. In the future, these dynamics would decide which way Eritrea and Ethiopia, both working together right now, will tilt. But government officials have not acknowledged a fresh offensive, which Tigray forces say began last week. The UAE is also allegedly supplying drones to Ethiopia. [207] On the same day, the Amhara regional government declared a state of emergency, which included a region-wide curfew. The country is looking to industrialise. However, the US narrative doesnt really fit the Ethiopian National sentiment. [338][339], According to the United Nations (UN), some 2.3 million children have been cut off from desperately needed aid and humanitarian assistance. [198][199], On 8 October 2021, the TPLF said that an intensive air campaign by the Ethiopian Air Force began against TDF positions in the North Wollo and North Gondar zones of the Amhara Region, mostly around the towns of Wegeltena, Wurgessa and Haro. [250] On 2 October, the TPLF announced it had withdrawn troops from Amhara's North Wollo Zone, including Kobo, to be redeployed north to reinforce lines under heavy Eritrean attack but warned it would return if their southern border is threatened. [367], Claire Wilmot, writing in The Washington Post, found that a significant number of new, single-issue Twitter accounts were opened in the immediate aftermath of the Northern Command attacks. Amhara comprises 28% of the total population. [41][361], In November 2020, the Amhara Region Special Force[362] and Amhara militias loyal to the Amhara regional government[53] took control of the western zone of Tigray in order to settle a decades-old land dispute. Throughout the 1980s the TPLFemerged as a formidable challenger to Ethiopia's then Marxist military dictatorship. However, no one except the US wants to support the TPLF fighters in their bid to break up the nation of Ethiopia. [245], On 20 September, the government of Tigray said Eritrea had invaded the region, and that heavy fighting was taking place across northern Tigray. [201][202] General Tsadkan Gebretensae, member of the central command of the TDF said both sides had been preparing for the offensive for months, and predicted that battle would be "decisive. [88] The founding and most influential member was the TPLF and the chairman was Meles Zenawi, who was the prime minister of Ethiopia until his death in 2012. [64] However, fighting dramatically re-escalated in late August 2022, after peace talks broke down. 53 12 January 2021", "Clandestine Training of Somali Forces in Eritrea Stirs Families' Concern", "Trauma, anger as Tigrayans recount Eritrea troops' 'grave crimes', "UN: Ethiopia may not have control of a large part of Tigray", "News Highlights Extra No. Both sides blamed each other for initiating the fighting, and both also expressed frustration "for a lack of progress towards negotiations to end the 21-month conflict. The Tigray War was an armed conflict that lasted from 3 November 2020 to 3 November 2022. [213], On 22 November, Prime Minister Abiy stated that he will be leading the fight against the rebels from the battlefront after the TDF claimed to have captured Shewa Robit,[214][215] saying; "We are now in the final stages of saving Ethiopia. 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