Horn of Africa

Photo: Migrants prepare to depart from Aden on a Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) flight last week. Credit: Majed Mohammed/IOM Yemen

23,000 Refugees Returned to Libya, Mass Surveillance of Migrants in Europe, Tigray Facing Famine

By Reinhard Jacobsen

BRUSSELS (IDN) — The Elders address the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Tigray; refugees in Ethiopia approved for resettlement reportedly refused departure; UN urges opening of Tigray for aid; 29 Tigrayan bodies found between Sudan and Ethiopia; 5,000 Ethiopian migrants blocked in Yemen; Ethiopia is facing competing alliances; over 23,000 refugees returned to Libya this year, reports the Belgium-based Europe External Programme with Africa in its latest report on the Horn of Africa situation.

: Reinhard Jacobsen; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 12 September 2021

Photo: Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela (Ethiopia) © Ko Hon Chiu Vincent

Sacred Rock-Hewn Churches Threatened in Ethiopian Civil War

By Lisa Vives

NEW YORK (IDN) — Lalibela, a holy site for Ethiopian Orthodox Christians and home to 13th century rock-hewn churches—a world heritage site—has been caught between the warring forces of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the central government in Addis Ababa, according to reports from the region.

In a statement issued by the UN agency UNESCO, Lalibela’s historic role as a place of pilgrimage, devotion and peace was underscored. “It should not be a place for instigating violence and conflict,” their statement read.

: Global Information Network; UN INSIDER; 09 August 2021

Photo: One of the numerous mass graves of civilian victims in Tigray, massacred by ENDF and allied forces. VOA | Public domain.

A Reflection on Tigray’s Maneuver Action Plan that Routed Abiy’s Allied Forces

Viewpoint by Asayehgn Desta*

CALIFORNIA (IDN) — The constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, promulgated in 1995, was supposed to resolve ethnic conflict and enhance self- and shared-rule. But, contrary to expectations, Ethiopia became heavily embroiled in inter-ethnic skirmishes starting in 2018.

Demand for self-rule and ethnic fighting has been brewing in a number of Ethiopia’s regional states.

: Opinion Editor; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 28 July 2021

Photo: Some 220 former refugee families from Somalia are now farming in the US state of Maine. UN News/Daniel Dickinson

The Somali Refugees Planting a New Life in The United States

By Muhidin Libah, UN News Feature

This feature story told in first person is republished from UN News. Read the original article.

NEW YORK (IDN) — After spending years living in UN-supported camps in Kenya, some 220 former refugees from Somalia now work as farmers in the US state of Maine, growing crops ranging from beets to broccolini.

Thousands of Somalis who fled persecution and civil war in the Horn of Africa country have benefitted from resettlement programmes in third countries like the US.

: UN Bureau; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 26 July 2021

Photo: Ethiopian voters went to the polls in the early hours of the morning in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on June 21, 2021. (VOA/Yan Boechat)

Ethiopian Leader Wins New 5-Year Term in A 'Credible' But ‘Flawed’ Vote’

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — In a vote the US called "significantly flawed," Ethiopia’s “Prosperity Party”, headed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, carried the majority of votes cast. Prime Minister Abiy hailed the election as Ethiopia’s first attempt at a free and fair vote.

The vote was a test for the Prime Minister, who will begin a second five-year term. It was delayed by the coronavirus twice and could not be held in some regions due to unrest, leaving seats empty in parliament.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 11 July 2021

Photo: Refugees from Tigray watch an interview of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Um Rakuba refugee camp, in Al-Qadarif state, eastern Sudan on June 24, 2021. Credit: Morgane Wirtz at hanslucas.com

Encounters with Refugees at the Three-Country Point between Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia

By Morgane Wirtz**

Since the start of the conflict in Tigray in November 2020, Sudan has hosted more than 60,000 Ethiopian refugees. They are in addition to the tens of thousands of Eritreans the country receives each year. Some are fleeing massacres; others have been forced to fight.

HAMDAYETE, Sudan (IDN) — The Sudanese village Hamdayete lies on the banks of the Tekeze River, on the border between three countries. In the North-East, Eritrea. In the South-East, Ethiopia. In the West, Sudan. Due to its geographical position, Hamdayete is a reception centre for many refugees.

: Africa & ME Editor; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 08 July 2021

Photo: Yeshialem Gebreegziabher, 27, holds her daughter, Kalkidan Yeman, 6 months old, who is suffering from malnutrition at Aby Adi Health center in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, Credit: UNICEFPhoto: Yeshialem Gebreegziabher, 27, holds her daughter, Kalkidan Yeman, 6 months old, who is suffering from malnutrition at Aby Adi Health center in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, Credit: UNICEF

400,000 in Tigray Cross 'Threshold into Famine', Some 2 Million Expected to Follow Suit

By Caroline Mwanga

NEW YORK (IDN) — The Security Council in its first open meeting on the conflict in the fidgety northern Ethiopian region has passionately called for immediate and unrestricted humanitarian access to Tigray—and for an end to deadly attacks on aid workers. Ramesh Rajasingham, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said: "One of the most distressing trends is an alarming rise in food insecurity and hunger due to conflict. More than 400,000 people are estimated to have crossed the threshold into famine and another 1.8 million people are on the brink of famine.

: Caroline Mwanga; SUSTAINABILITY; Peace & Justice; 04 July 2021

Photo credit: European Union | Mathias Eick

EU and the US Concerned About the Humanitarian Emergency in Tigray

By Reinhardt Jacobsen

BRUSSELS (IDN) — Together with the United Nations, the European Commission has urged "all parties to the conflict" in Ethiopia’s Tigray region to agree to "a ceasefire immediately to facilitate humanitarian assistance to reach all people in need in Tigray regardless of where they are and to stop violence against civilians".

Leading representatives of the two organizations had a virtual meeting on June 10 to discuss the situation seven months into the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region.

: Reinhard Jacobsen; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 11 June 2021

Photo: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali apparently asked Eritrea dictator Isaias Afewerki to launch a second offensive in Tigray with the aim of destroying the TPLF. Source: lndro.it

Afwerki’s Regime in Eritrea Has Been a Malign Influence in The Horn of Africa

Viewpoint by Daniel Haile*

COLLEGE STATION, Texas | USA (IDN) — The Ethiopian government claims the conflict in Tigray is a law enforcement operation, but that is incorrect; it is a war involving the Ethiopian government, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), and the malign foreign influence of the Eritrean regime. The Eritrean regime in Asmara will be the only victor from the Ethiopian civil war.

: Africa & ME Editor; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 05 June 2021

Photo: Screenshot of EEPA Webinar on May 25.

Call for Referring Conflict-related Sexual Violence to International Criminal Court

By Reinhard Jacobsen

BRUSSELS (IDN) — The scale and brutality of crimes of conflict-related sexual violence against women committed in Tigray have drawn widespread condemnation from around the world.

It was no surprise that the Europe External Programme with Africa (EEPA) focussed on that theme in the Webinar organised on May 25. EEPA is a Belgium-based centre of expertise with in-depth knowledge, publications, and networks, specialised in issues of peacebuilding, refugee protection, and resilience in the Horn of Africa.