Media Advisory

For Immediate Release

Thursday, July 29, 2021
Office of Press Relations
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Administrator Samantha Power will travel to Sudan and Ethiopia July 31–August 4 to strengthen the U.S. Government’s partnership with Sudan’s transitional leaders and citizens, explore how to expand USAID’s support for Sudan’s transition to a civilian-led democracy, and continue to press the Government of Ethiopia to allow full and unhindered humanitarian access to prevent famine in Ethiopia’s Tigray region.

In Khartoum, Administrator Power will deliver a speech on Sudan, highlighting its promising yet fragile transition, and celebrating the essential role of civil society, independent media, and the courageous Sudanese people who marched for freedom. She will meet Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Council Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and other officials in the transitional government. The Administrator will meet Ethiopian refugees in Sudan who recently fled the conflict and atrocities in the Tigray region, and travel to Darfur to assess USAID humanitarian programs to assist people displaced by conflict, as well as meet with Darfuri youth and community leaders.

While in Addis Ababa, Administrator Power will meet with humanitarian assistance partners and observe how USAID-provided food is stored and prepared for delivery throughout Ethiopia, including to the Tigray region, to feed families who need it most. The Administrator’s itinerary also includes meetings with Ethiopian government officials to press for unimpeded humanitarian access to prevent famine in Tigray and meet urgent needs in other conflict-affected regions of the country.

JULY 30, 2021  ETHIOPIANEWSTIGRAY

Aid workers say the Ethiopian government has effectively cut off the lone route into the conflict-torn region of Tigray, leading to a risk of mass starvation.

Source: New York Times

  • July 29, 2021

AFAR, Ethiopia — The road, a 300-mile strip of tarmac that passes through some of the most inhospitable terrain on earth, is the only way into a conflict-torn region where millions of Ethiopians face the threat of mass starvation.

But it is a fragile lifeline, fraught with dangers that have made the route barely passable for aid convoys trying to get humanitarian supplies into the Tigray region, where local fighters have been battling the Ethiopian army for eight months.  Now the road is barely passable, making aid delivery from the United Nations difficult.CreditCredit…Finbarr O’Reilly for The New York Times

Aid workers say the main obstacle is an unofficial Ethiopian government blockade, enforced using tactics of obstruction and intimidation, that has effectively cut off the road and exacerbated what some call the world’s worst humanitarian crisis in a decade.

A relief convoy headed for Tigray came under fire on the road on July 18, forcing it to turn around.

In the past month, just a single United Nations aid convoy of 50 trucks has managed to travel this route. The U.N. says it needs twice as many trucks, traveling every day, to stave off catastrophic shortages of food and medicine inside Tigray.

Yet nothing is moving.

Credit…Finbarr O’Reilly for The New York Times

On Tuesday, the World Food Program said 170 trucks loaded with relief aid were stranded in Semera, the capital of the neighboring Afar region, waiting for Ethiopian permission to make the desert journey into Tigray.

“These trucks must be allowed to move NOW,” the agency’s director David Beasley wrote on Twitter. “People are starving.”

The crisis comes against the backdrop of an intensifying war that is spilling out of Tigray into other regions, deepening ethnic tensions and stoking fears that Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous nation, is tearing itself apart.

Inside Tigray, the needs are dire, and rapidly rising. The United Nations estimates that 400,000 people there are living in famine-like conditions, and another 4.8 million need urgent help.

Ethiopian and allied Eritrean soldiers have stolen grain, burned crops and destroyed agricultural tools, according to both aid groups and local witnesses interviewed by The New York Times. This has caused many farmers to miss the planting season, setting in motion a food crisis that is expected to peak when harvests fail in September.

Credit…Finbarr O’Reilly for The New York Times

The Ethiopian prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, who won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, said last week that his government was providing “unfettered humanitarian access” and committed to “the safe delivery of critical supplies to its people in the Tigray region.”

But Mr. Abiy’s ministers have publicly accused aid workers of helping and even arming the Tigrayan fighters, drawing a robust denial from one U.N. agency. And senior aid officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid jeopardizing their operations, said the government’s stated commitment to enable aid deliveries was belied by its actions on the ground.

Aid workers have been harassed at airports or, in the case of a World Food Program official last weekend, have died inside Tigray for want of immediate medical care.

Billene Seyoum Woldeyes, a spokeswoman for Mr. Abiy, said federal forces had left behind 44,000 tons of wheat and 2.5 million liters of edible oil as they withdrew from Tigray in June. Any hurdles to humanitarian access were being “closely monitored” by the government, she said.

But on the ground, vital supplies are rapidly running out — not just food and medicine, but also the fuel and cash needed to distribute emergency aid. Many aid agencies have begun to scale back their operations in Tigray, citing the impossible working conditions. Mr. Beasley said the World Food Program would start to run out of food on Friday.

Fighting is raging along what had once been the main highway into Tigray, forcing aid groups to turn to the only alternative: the remote road connecting Tigray to Afar that runs across a stark landscape of burning temperatures.

Credit…Finbarr O’Reilly for The New York Times

When I traveled the route on July 4, the war in Tigray had just dramatically reversed direction.

Days earlier, Tigrayan fighters had marched into the regional capital, Mekelle, hours after beleaguered Ethiopian soldiers quit the city. The city airport was shut, so the only way out of Tigray was on a slow-moving U.N. convoy that took the same desolate route out as the fleeing Ethiopian soldiers.

We drove down a rocky escarpment on a road scarred by tank tracks. As we descended into the plains of Afar, the temperature quickly rose.

The road skirted the western edge of the Danakil Depression, a vast area that sits below sea level with an active volcano, the saltiest lake on earth, and surreal rock formations in vivid colors that are frequently likened to an otherworldly landscape.
Credit…Finbarr O’Reilly for The New York Times

Our minivan raced across a barren field of dried lava that stretched for miles. Sand drifted onto the road in places, and the van’s roof grew too hot to touch.

Our driver chewed leaves of the mild narcotic khat as he gripped the wheel, frequently steering us onto the wrong side of the road. It didn’t matter — the only vehicles we passed were broken-down trucks, their sweating drivers poring over greasy entrails.

In the handful of villages we crossed through, people sheltered from the sun inside buildings covered with tin sheets and heavy blankets. My weather app said it was 115 degrees outside. Then my phone issued a text warning that it was overheating.

We passed 13 checkpoints, the initial ones manned by militia fighters and then later ones guarded by Ethiopian government forces. We reached Semera after 12 hours.

Days later, a second U.N. convoy headed out of Tigray was not so lucky.

According to an aid worker on the convoy, Ethiopian federal police subjected Western aid workers to extensive searches along the way, and later detained seven Tigrayan drivers overnight after impounding their vehicles. The drivers and vehicles were released after two days.

On July 18, a 10-vehicle U.N. convoy carrying food to Tigray came under attack 60 miles north of Semera when unidentified gunmen opened fire and looted several trucks, according to the World Food Program. The convoy turned around, and all aid deliveries along the route have since been suspended.

Credit…Finbarr O’Reilly for The New York Times

In a statement, Mr. Abiy’s office blamed the attack on the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, the former ruling party of the Tigray region that the national government’s forces have been fighting.

But two senior U.N. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid worsening relations with the Ethiopian authorities, said they believed the attack had been carried out by a pro-government militia at the behest of the Ethiopian security forces.

A rare humanitarian flight to Tigray four days later confirmed fears among aid workers that the Ethiopian authorities were pursuing a strategy of officially permitting humanitarian access while in practice working to frustrate it.

At the main airport in Addis Ababa, 30 aid workers boarding the first U.N. flight to Mekelle in more than a month were subjected to intensive searches and harassment, several people on board said. Ethiopian officials prohibited aid workers from carrying cash greater than the equivalent of $250, satellite phones and personal medication — the last restriction resulted in an official with Doctors Without Borders having to get off the flight. Six hours late, the flight took off.

The World Food Program publicized the flight but made no mention of the delays or harassment — an omission that privately angered several U.N. officials and other aid workers who said it followed a pattern of U.N. agencies being unwilling to publicly criticize the Ethiopian authorities.

Further complicating the aid effort: The war is now spilling into Afar.

In the past week Tigrayan forces have pushed into the region. In response Mr. Abiy mobilized ethnic militias from other regions to counter the offensive.

Mr. Abiy has also resorted to increasingly inflammatory language — referring to Tigrayan leaders as “cancer” and “weeds” in need of removal — that foreign officials view as a possible tinder for a new wave of ethnic violence across the country.

Ms. Billene, his spokeswoman, dismissed those fears as “alarmist.” The Ethiopian leader had “clearly been referring to a terrorist organization and not the people of Tigray,” she said.

Inside Tigray, the most pressing priority is to reopen the road to Afar.

“This is a desperate, desperate situation,” said Lorraine Sweeney of Support Africa Foundation, a charity that shelters about 100 pregnant women displaced by fighting in the Tigrayan city of Adigrat.

Ms. Sweeney, who is based in Ireland, said she had fielded calls from panicked staff members appealing for help to feed the women, all of whom are at least eight months pregnant.

“It brings me back to famine times in Ireland,” Ms. Sweeney said. “This is crazy stuff in this day and age.”

JULY 29, 2021  ETHIOPIANEWSTIGRAY

29 July 2021

The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, today started a six-day mission to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

“It was important to me that I carry out my first official mission as the UN’s humanitarian chief to Ethiopia,” said Mr. Griffiths. “Humanitarian needs in the country have increased this year as a result of the armed conflicts in Tigray and Benishangul-Gumuz, intercommunal violence in parts of Afar, Somali and SNNP regions, and drought in Somali, Oromia and Afar regions.

“These shocks came on top of existing challenges associated with floods, the desert locust infestation, chronic food insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of vulnerable people are now struggling and in need of help.”

During the visit, Mr. Griffiths is expected to meet with high-level Government officials and representatives of the humanitarian and donor communities.

He plans to travel to the Tigray region to hear from civilians affected by the conflict and to witness first-hand the challenges humanitarian workers face. An estimated 5.2 million people (about 90 per cent of the population) need humanitarian assistance in the Tigray region.

Mr. Griffiths also plans to meet with Amhara regional authorities in Bahir Dar city.

“The humanitarian community is committed to working with the Government and the people of Ethiopia to respond to this crisis,” said Mr. Griffiths. “This visit is an opportunity to discuss with the Government of Ethiopia’s officials and partners how the United Nations and its humanitarian partners can best serve the people of Ethiopia. I look forward to constructive discussions on scaling up the humanitarian response across the country.”

More than 9 UN agencies, along with international and national non-governmental organizations and Government agencies, are responding to the humanitarian needs in Ethiopia

JULY 29, 2021  ETHIOPIANEWS

Eritreans are demonstrating outside the UNHCR offices in Bole, Addis Ababa.  They are appealing to the UN to act to protect Eritrean refugees in camps in Mai Aini and Adi Harush. They say the area is a war zone and calls on the UN to evacuate them.
There are also appeals for the UNHCR to extend its protection and services to Eritreans currently in Addis Ababa and other camps.
They are calling for:
1) Relocation of the refugees from the war zone
2) Provide basic support like shelter, food, medications, blankets to the displaced
3) Give ID cards and proof of refugee registration to those who lost it during conflict
4) Bring to justice perpetrators of human rights violations in the Eritrean camps and their surroundings.
Thursday, 29 July 2021 22:03

Open Letter: Eritrean refugees in Tigray

Written by

Eritrea Focus                                                                                   

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: www.eritrea-focus.org                                                                                                

29 June 2021

Eritrea Focus is deeply concerned about the plight of Eritrean refugees caught up in the war in Tigray. Eritrea Focus stood by the Tigrayan people in their hour of need. We support their struggle against attempts to crush them by the Ethiopian and the Eritrean governments, backed by ethnic militia and Somali troops. That support will continue. But we cannot remain silent while Eritrean refugees are being attacked and we call on the Tigrayan Government and the Tigray Defence Forces to do all they can to honour their commitments to ensure their safety and security.

We know that at the start of the conflict in November 2020 nearly 100,000 were being cared for in four camps, under the auspices of the UN refugee agency – the UNHCR. We are immensely grateful to the people of Tigray for the hospitality and welcome they extended to them, but today these men, women and children are suffering the most appalling fate.

The two northern camps (Hitsats and Shimelba) were overrun by Eritrean and Ethiopian forces early in the war. Some refugees managed to escape to Addis Ababa or flee to other parts of Ethiopia. Even here they suffered terribly from persecution, isolation and having to fend for themselves. But those who could not escape suffered the worst fate. Some were killed, while others were conscripted into the Eritrean army or forcibly returned to an unknown fate in Eritrea.

The plight of refugees in the two southern camps (Adi Harush and Mai Ayni) are our present concern. This was underlined by Tuesday’s statement by the US State Department, which we carry in full below.[1]

The State Department spokesman said:

“we are deeply concerned about credible reports of attacks by military forces affiliated with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and Tigrayan militias against Eritrean refugees in the Tigray region, particularly reports of violence in refugee camps.

We call on all armed actors in Tigray to stop attacks and intimidation against Eritrean refugees and all refugees, asylum seekers and people displaced by the ongoing violence, as well as against the aid workers attempting to respond to the humanitarian disaster more broadly.

This is not the first time Eritrean populations have been targeted in Tigray. In January, credible reports indicated that Eritrean refugees suffered killings, targeted abductions, and forced returns to Eritrea at the hands of Eritrean forces.

We call on all parties to adhere strictly to their obligations under international humanitarian law, and for those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses to be held accountable through independent and transparent international processes.”

We are not aware of the information upon which this statement was made, but we endorse the sentiments expressed by the State Department. Indeed, we are hugely grateful to the State Department for all their efforts in this endeavour.

We do not know whether these acts were carried out by groups affiliated to the Tigrayan authorities or were the acts of individuals or individual commanders. We have even heard reports that they were the work of “shiftas” or bandits.

The elected Government of Tigray and the Tigray Defence Forces control the area in which the camps are situated and must take responsibility for the safety of the refugees. To this end, we call on the Government in Mekelle to prevent any further attacks of this kind and that they work with the relevant UN bodies, including the UNHCR, to ensure that Eritrean refugees can live in safety in areas under their control.

We must remember the Tigrayan and Eritrean peoples are suffering under common enemies and it is important we stand together.

Habte Hagos, chair, Eritrea Focus

—————————— ENDS ————————–

[1] https://www.state.gov/briefings/department-press-briefing-july-27-2021/

Thursday, 29 July 2021 21:37

Dimtsi Harnnet Kassel 29.07.2021

Written by

ሕቡራት መንግስታት ኣሜሪካ፡ ኣብ ትግራይ ኣብ ልዕሊ ኤርትራውያን ስደተኛታት ዝፍጸም ዘሎ መጥቃዕቲ ከም ዘሻቐላ ብምጥቃስ፡ ኣብ ልዕሊኦም  ዝፍጸም መጥቃዕትን ምፍራራሕን ደው ክብል ጸዊዓ። ወሃቢት ቃል ሚኒሰትሪ ጉዳያት ወጻኢ ኣሜሪካ ጁሊና ኣብ ዝሃበኦ ሓበሬታ፡ "ምስ ህዝባዊ ወያነ ሓርነት ትግራይ ዝምድና ዘለዎም ወተሃደራዊ ሓይልታትን ምልሻን ኣብ ልዕሊ ኣብ ትግራይ ዝርከቡ ኤርትራውያን ስደተኛታት ብዝፈጸምዎ መጥቃዕቲ ኣዚና ኢና ተሻቒልና ከም ዝበላ ማዕከን ዜና ቢቢሲ ኣፍሊጡ።

እተን ወሃቢት ቃል ኤርትራውያን ስደተኛታት ኣብ ዝሓለፈ ወርሒ ጥሪ 2021 ብወተሃደራት ኤርትራ ቅትለት፡ ጭውያን ኣገዲድካ ናብ ዓዶም ምምላስን ከም ዘጋጠሞም ጠቒሰን፡ ኣብ መጻኢ ዝምልከቶም ኣካላት ካብ ከምዚ ዓይነት ተግባር ክእደቡ ጸዊዐን። ወሃብ ቃል ላዕለዋይ ኮሚሽን ጉዳይ ስደተኛታት፡ ባባር ባሎች ብወገኖም፡ ኣብዚ ቀረባ መዓልታት ኣብቲ መደበራት ሓደ ስደተኛ ከም ዝተቐትለን፡ ኣብዚ እዋንዚ እቶም ስደተኛታት ብሕጽረት ጽሩይ ማይን ካልእ ከም መግብን መድሃኒትን ዝኣመሰለ መሰረታዊ ቀረባትን ይጽገሙ ከም ዘለዉ ሓቢሮም። ኣተሓሒዞም ከኣ ላዕለዋይ ኮሚሽ ጉዳይ ስደተኛታት ብዛዕባቶም ኣብ መደበራት ማይዓይንን ዓዲ ሓርሽን ዘለዉ ስደተኛታት ደሃይ ካብ ዝረክብ ሳምንታት ከም ዝሓለፈ ሓቢሮም። እቶም ኣብተን መዓስከራት ዝርከቡ ኣስታት 24 ሽሕ ኤርትራውያን ስደተኛታት ወርሓዊ ዝወሃቦም ናይ መግቢ ሓገዝ ካብ ዝቕበሉ ሓደ ወርሒ ስለ ዝኾነ ሓደጋ ጥሜት ኣጋጢምዎም ከም ዘሎ ባባር ባሎች ጠቒሶም።

ምስቲ ኣብቲ ከባቢ ውግኣት ምቕጻሉ ላዕለዋይ ኮሚሽን ጉዳይ ስደተኛታት ዝለዓለ ሻቕሎት ሓዲርዎ ኣሎ። እቲ ዜና ኣብቲ ከባቢ ውግእ ዘስዓቦ ምፍርራሕን ክትራንን ከም ዘጋጥም’ውን ጠቒሱ። መራሕቲ ሓይልታት ትግራይ ብወገኖም ኣብ ዝሓለፈ ሰሙን፡ ኣብ ልዕሊ ኤርትራውያን ስደተኛታት ተፈጺሙ ዝተባህለ ምምዝባልን ካልእ በደላትን ከም ዘሻቕሎም ጠቒሶም፡ ብዛዕባ ናይቲ ተግባር ፈጸምቲ ውድብ ሕቡራት ሃገራት ብዝመርሖ ናጻ ኣካል ምጽራይ ንክግበር ጸዊዖም ነይሮም።

ብኻልእ ወገን ከኣ ብሰንኪ እቲ ኣብዚ ቀረባ መዓልትታት ኣብ ክልል ዓፋር ዝካየድ ዘሎ ውግእ ብኣሽሓት ዝቑጸሩ ሰባት ክመዛበሉ እንከለው፡ ኣብቲ ክልል ኣብ መደበራት ዝነበሩ ኣስታት 55 ሺሕ ኤርትራውያን ስደተኛታት ድማ ኣብ ኣሻቓሊ ኩነታት ወዲቖም ከም ዘለዉ እቶም ወሃቢ ቃል ላዕለዋይ ኮሚሽ ጉዳይ ስደተኛታት ሓቢሮም።

JULY 28, 2021  ETHIOPIANEWSTIGRAY

The Nobel Committee leader Berit Reiss-Andersen (left) and Deputy Henrik Syse (right) applaud the Prime Minister of Ethiopia after the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize on 10 December 2019. Photo: Fredrik Varfjell / AFP / NTB

Source: Bistands

[Note: Computer translation]

OPINIONS: I understand that the Nobel Foundation has never before withdrawn a prize it has awarded. But it is always a first time with everything, writes the article author who is a former ambassador for Eritrea to the Scandinavian countries. She is shocked by Prime Minister and Peace Prize winner Abyi Ahmed’s handling of the brutal war in the Tigray region.

When Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 2019, my first question was: How does the Nobel Committee decide who will receive the prize each year?

After some research, I learned that Alfred Nobel in his will had decided that the return on his fortune should be divided equally among five prizes.

One of the five prizes was to go to “… the one who has worked most or best for the fraternization of the peoples and the abolition or reduction of standing armies as well as the formation and dissemination of peace congresses.”

The question then is: Why was Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed awarded the Nobel Peace Prize – without having a track record of contributing to peace in Ethiopia or the region?

Boasted of the old regime

During Abyi Ahmed’s inauguration ceremony on April 2, 2018, he concluded as follows: “I thank you with the utmost respect and love for my organization, the EPRDF (the former four-party governing coalition, editor’s note), and my people who elected me and gave me the responsibility to lead. ”

A little later, in his speech in Mekele on April 13, 2018, he praised Tigray, the Tigray People and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). He said that Tigray is the cradle of Ethiopian civilization, the source of Ethiopian identity and the roots of philosophers such as Yared and Zerayacob.

He listed the names of ten TPLF martyrs, among them Meles Zenawi (former president 1991-95 and prime minister 1995-2012, editor’s note), and said many thousands of others could also be praised for his admirable courage and said they had paid for it. highest award for justice, equality and development in Ethiopia.

But within a few months of Abyi coming to power, there were clear signals about who he really was. He gradually began to paint a picture of the 27 years of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) in power as 27 years of darkness and oppression.

This happened despite the fact that Abyi himself had been part of the military establishment, the security apparatus and the EPRDF’s coalition government. He served in the military with the rank of lieutenant colonel, he was appointed head of the Information Network Security Agency in 2007, the Ethiopian government’s organization for electronic surveillance and cyber security.

Abyi was elected as a representative to the Federal National Assembly as a member of the Oromo People’s Democratic Organization (OPDO), which was part of the EPRDF’s governing coalition. Abiy was appointed Minister of Science and Technology in the Federal Government, but left the post to serve as Vice President of the Oromia Regional Government. In 2017, Abiy was elected head of the secretariat of the OPDO party.

Cannot be released from liability

With all this as a background, I believe he can not be absolved of responsibility for mistakes made by the EPRDF, because he himself was part of the governing coalition, and not least he was among the leaders of the apparatus that monitored the Ethiopian people.

One of the most important peace steps taken by Prime Minister Abiy was the peace agreement with Eritrea. But the so-called peace agreement was never made public, neither for the peoples of Ethiopia and Eritrea nor for the rest of the world. Today, it can be stated that the agreement was a war pact rather than a peace agreement.

Now Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the Peace Prize winner, along with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, appear as leaders responsible for barbaric atrocities and crimes against humanity committed in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. Abiy and the Eritrean despot have waged a genocidal war against the people of Tigray, which they planned together to create as much suffering as possible and destroy food supplies, infrastructure, financial institutions, communications, transport and cultural heritage.

Two leaders, both with big dreams

Both Abiy and Isaiah both have imperial dreams: Abiy strives to establish a unitary state, as opposed to a federal state, and to become king of Ethiopia, as he has repeatedly stated,  and Isaiah has always had ambitions to dominate the region.

Both Abiy and Isaias know that they can only achieve this if the leadership of Tigray’s regional government is removed and Tigray’s people are crushed economically, psychologically, historically and culturally. Abiy, Isaias and their supporters want to completely obliterate the Tigray people from the map of Ethiopia, if they can. Abiy has managed to destroy a people in just 8 months. Isaias has achieved something similar in 30 years in Eritrea.

The methods they have used have been the same: total blackout, economic stagnation, hunger as a weapon in war, imprisonment, extrajudicial killings, rape, destruction of culture, social network and identity. At the same time, humanitarian aid is being deliberately hindered.

It is sad that the late reaction of the international community allows Abiy and Isaiah to continue their planned genocide. The world will one day wake up to a terrible tragedy.

The capital must be destroyed

Today, as I write this open letter, perhaps the brutal atrocities and crimes against humanity have subsided somewhat, since the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) have recaptured most of the Tigray region. But the situation is still very unstable.

The Ethiopian government has declared a unilateral ceasefire, allegedly for humanitarian reasons. But they have dismantled UNICEF’s satellite communications equipment and confiscated internet equipment from several UN agencies on their way out, to hamper humanitarian work.

Earlier, Abiy praised Tigray as the cradle of Ethiopian civilization, but at a press conference in Addis Ababa on June 29 this year, the same Abiy boasted that he would reduce the regional capital of Mekele from a powerhouse to the same status as the small village of Beshasha, Abiy Ahmed’s birthplace in Oromia region.

Promises to fight back hard

Contrary to the declaration of unilateral ceasefire, Abiy Ahmed warned on Wednesday, July 14, that his forces will strike back hard at his enemies. According to local and state media, reinforcements are now being mobilized in Oromia, Sidama and other regions, which could lead to more bloodshed.

The Eritrean forces have withdrawn to areas near the border with Eritrea, but continue to forcibly recruit Eritreans in Eritrea, including child soldiers as young as 15 and 16, and send them to war without proper training.

The Nobel Committee  was obviously in good faith when it awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, because they thought he was contributing to peace in Eritrea and Ethiopia, and perhaps also in the region. But the question that then arises is why the Nobel Committee does not have the opportunity to reconsider its decision – and consider withdrawing the award to Prime Minister Abyi Ahmed? Does not this special award help to tarnish the reputation of the Peace Prize?

I understand that the Nobel Foundation has never before withdrawn a prize it has awarded, and that there is no mechanism for making such a decision.  But it is always a first time with everything, and mechanisms can be created.

If the Nobel Institutions think it is completely impossible to withdraw the award, then they can at least publicly condemn the horrific, brutal atrocities and crimes against humanity that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has committed against Tigray’s innocent people and against Eritrean refugees in Tigray.

Brings shame over the Peace Prize

The Nobel Peace Center’s Peace Prize exhibition for 2020 was about this year’s peace prize winner; The UN Food Program, as well as a digital exhibition on how food and hunger are used as a means of power in wars and conflicts.

In an exhibition on how food is used as a weapon in earlier times of war, how can the Nobel Center remain silent about the simultaneous use of food as a weapon in the Tigray region of Ethiopia? (By an irony of fate, the photo artist behind important parts of the exhibition is Ethiopian Aïda Mulluneh, and the exhibition opened on December 10, at the same time as the war raged in the Tigray region and where food was used as a weapon.)

That the Nobel Peace Prize should remain in the possession of a genocide is an ugly stain on the history of the Peace Prize. I would add that it is a shame for such a highly regarded award to have to honor someone responsible for genocide.

As a former ambassador for Eritrea to the Scandinavian countries and an admirer of Scandinavian social democracy, I appeal to the Norwegian Nobel Committee to consider withdrawing the peace prize awarded to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, even though the award was made in good faith and to encourage a young leader.

Today it is very clear that he is a war criminal, blinded by imperial ambitions, and he has not earned the award. I would also like to emphasize the fact that he is in the process of tearing apart the Ethiopia that has historically been an ally with Scandinavia, and especially with Sweden, the country of origin of the Peace Prize.

I myself may be a little fluffy in world politics, but I feel a strong obligation as a world citizen to promote this appeal and make you, and the people in general, aware of the crimes a Peace Prize winner commits against the innocent people of Tigray and Eritrean refugees in Tigray.

 Opinion

The peace agreement was never announced, neither for the people of Ethiopia and Eritrea nor for the rest of the world. Today, it can be stated that the agreement was a war pact rather than a peace agreement.

ርእሰ-ዓንቀጽ ሰዲህኤ

“ኤርትራ፡ ብህዝባ፡ ካብ ህዝባን ንህዝባን” ናይ ነዊሕ ግዜ ናይ ሓባር ጭረሖና እዩ። ነዚ ከነተግብር ብዙሕነትና ዓቂብና ሓድነትና ከነሕይልን ዘይኤርትራዊ ኣብ ጉዳይና ክኣትወሉ ዝኽእል ሃጓፋት ክንመልእን ናይ ግድን እዩ። እዚ እቲ ክኸውን ዝነበሮን ዘለዎን ክነሱ ብግብሪ ግና ከም ዘይበቓዕናዮ ታሪኽና ኮነ ህልዊ ኩነታትና ዝምስክሮ እዩ። ኣብ 50ታትን 80ታትን ዝተራእየ ኣተሓሳስባታትን ዝተወስደ ኣገባብ ኣፈታትሓ ሃገራዊ ጉዳይናን ዝጥቀሱ ኣብነታት ኢዮም። እዞም ናይ ኣተሓሳስባ ፍልልያት ብቀጻሊ ኣብ መስርሕ ህንጸት ሃገርና ሓንኮልቲ ኮይኖምና ከምዘለዉ ምግንዛቡ ዝከኣል እዩ።

ኤርትራ ናብቲ ክውገድ ዝግብኦ ዝነበረ ዓዘቕቲ መሊሳ ክትሽመም ዝገበረ ህልዊ ምልካዊ ስርዓት ኤርትራ እዩ። ኣብ እዋን ገድሊ ምስ ጓና ሓይሊ ተሻሪኹ ኤርትራዊ ሃገራዊ ሓይልና ከም ዝደምሰሰ፡ ሎሚ’ውን ጸረ ሃገራውን ህዝባውን ኣጀንድኡ ንምትግባር፡ ምስ ክሳብ ሎሚ ናጽነት ኤርትራ ዘይተዋሓጠሎም ሓይልታት ኢትዮጵያ ተላፊኑ፡ ንሓደጋ የቃልዓና’ሎ። ነዚ ኢስያስ ዘምጸኦ ዘሎ ሓደጋታት ንምዕጻፍ፡ ህዝቢ ኤርትራ ኢድ ካለኦት ከይተጸበየ ኣብ ገዛእ ርእሱ ተኣማሚኑ ክቃለሶ ግድን’ዩ። ሎሚ’ውን  መርሆ ሓድነት ዘይክተል ምስቲ ናይ ቀደም ብዝመሳሰል ምክፍፋል፡ ኣብ ናትካ ሓይሊ ምትእምማን ገዲፍካ  ኣብ ናይ ግዳም ሓይሊ ምምርኳስ ውሕስነት ዓወት ዘረጋግጽ ኣይኮነን።

እቲ ምክፍፋልናን ዘይምትእምማናን ዓቕምና በታቲኑ ዘዳኽመና ጥራይ ዘይኮነ፡ ኣብ ሃገርና ረብሓ ሃገሮም ንከቀድሙ ዝደልዩ ናይ ግዳም ሓይልታት ኢዶም ከእትዉ ኣፍደገ ዝኸፍት ምንባሩን ምዃኑን ካብ ተመኩሮና እንዝክሮ ዝዓበየ ሰግኣት እዩ። ኣብ ከምዚ ኩነታት ናትና ብሓባር ናይ ዘይምቅላስ ድኽመት ኣቐሚጥና ምስቶም ኣብ ሕድሕድና ብዝፈጠርናዮ ዘይምትእምማን ኣብ ጉዳይና ዝኣትዉ ምርጋምን ምስጋእን ከምቲ “ወደን ከይሓምያስ ሰበይቲ ወደን” ዝበሃል’ዩ ዝኸውን። ኣብ ናይ 50ታት ተመኩሮና እቲ ዘይምስማርና ከይኣክል ከከም ዝንባለና ኣብ ጉዳይ ሃገርና ምስ ናይ ርሑቕን ጐረባብትን ሓይልታት ምጽጋዕ ከም ሓደ ኣሉታውን ክድገም ዘየብሉን ተመኩሮ ክንወስዶ ዝግበኣና እዩ።

ናይ ርሑቕ ይኹኑ ናይ ቀረባ ሓይልታት ኣብ ሃገርና ድሌት ክሓድሮም እንከሎ፡ ድሌቶም ንምዕዋት ካብ ዝጥቀምሉ ቀንዲ መንገዲ ኣብ ሕድሕድና ከምዘይንተኣማመን ምግባር እዩ። ነቲ ባልዕና ዝጀመርናዮ ምርሕሓቕ መሰረቱ እንታይ ምዃኑ ብዘየገድስ ከጋድድዎን፡ ብዝተፈላለዩ መተዓሻሸዊ መብጸዓታት ከሰንይዎ ድማ ናይ ግድን ነይሩ። እዚ ምትዕሽሻው ሎሚ እውን ብረቂቕ ሜላ ኣይክህሉን ምባል የጸግም።  እቲ ቀንዲ ስግኣት ግና ናታቶም ኢድ ኣእታውነት ዘይኮነ፡ ናትና ኣብ ገዛእ ርእስ ብዘይምትእምማን ነቲ  “ኤርትራ፡ ብህዝባ፡ ካብ ህዝባን ንህዝባን” ዝብል መሰረታዊ ጭረሖና ስለ ዘይበቓዕናዮን ባዕልና ነቓዓት ምፍጣርናን እዩ። ስለዚ እቲ ስግኣት ንሕና እቶም ናይ ምክፍፋል ኣፍደገ እንኸፍት እምበር እቶም በቲ ንሕና ዝኸፈትናዮ ዝኣተዉ ዘረግቲ ኣይኮኑን። ጎረቤት ሃገር ኣብ ጎረቤቱ ብዛዕባ ክኾነሉ ዝደልዮ ክሓስብ የብሉን ዝበሃል ኣይኮነን። ንሕና ውን ጎረባብትና ከምቲ እንደልዮ ክኾነልና ኢና እንሓስብን እንምነን። እዚ ግን ብዋጋ ናይቲ ካልእ ኣካል ረብሓ ዝረጋገጽ ኣይኮነን።

ኣብቲ ዝሓለፈ ተመኩሮና ከም ዝረኣናዮ ኣብ ጉዳይና ብሓባር ናይ ምስላፍ ብቕዓትና እንዳተዳኸመ፡  ምትእምማና  ምስ ነከየ፡ ናይ ጐረቤትና ድሌት ግብራዊ  ናይ ምዃን ዕድል ረኺቡ፡ ብፖለቲካውን ሕጋውን ኣገባብ ናጽናትና ናይ ምጭባጥ ዕድልና መኺኑ። እንተኾነ ናጻን ልኡላዊትን ሃገር ናይ ምውናን መሰልና ሸለል ኢልካ ዘይሕለፍ ስለ ዝነበረ ኤርትራውያን በቲ  ዝበልሐ ኣገባብ ሃገርና ናጻ ከነውጽእ ቅድሚ 60 ዓመታት ኣብ ብረታዊ ቃልሲ ኣተና። እዚ ምዕራፍ ቃልሲዚ እውን ነቲ “ኤርትራ፡ ብህዝባ፡ ካብ ህዝባን ንህዝባን” ዝብል ጭረሖ ዓቲሩ ዝተንሰአ ነይሩ። ብዝምድናዊ ኣረዳድኣ ብዝሓሸ ሓድነትን ምትእምማንን ምስ ብዙሕ ሓጐጽጐጽን ላዕልን ታሕትን ነዚ መሰረታዊ ጭረሖ ደሓን ግምት ስለ ዝሃብናዮ ኤርትራ ናጻን ልኡላዊትን ሃገር ኮይና።

ሎሚ ድማ ንናጻ ኤርትራ ካብ ጸልማት ኣውጺእና ዲሞክራስያዊ ግምጃ ንምልባሳ ኣብ መስመር ቃልሲ ኣለና። እቶም ብሰንኪ ፍልልያትና ኣከኣኢልና ብዓንተቡኡ ብሓባር “ንናጽነት መተካእታ የብሉን”   ብዘይምባልና ነዊሕ ግዜ ኣብ ቃልሲ ክንጸንሕን ኣዝዩ ክቡር ዋጋ ክንከፍልን ዝተገደድና ኤርትራውያን ሎሚ’ውን ኣብቲ ናይ ቀደም ዘለና ንመስል። እቶም ካብ ሽዑ ኣብ ጉዳይና ዓይኖም ዝተኸሉ ሎሚ እውን ትሕዝቶ ዘይኮነ፡ ኣገባብ ቀይሮም ኣብ ቦታኦም ኣለዉ። እዚ እዩ ከኣ “ታሪኽሲ ንገዛእ ርእሱ ይደግም ኣሎ ማለት ድዩ?” ዘብለና።

ጉዳይና ከነልዕል እንከለና ተነጺልካ ስለ ዘይንበር ጉዳይ ጐረባብትና ከነልዕል ንቡር እዩ። እዚ ብመንጽርቲ “እንተ ክትድቅስ ጐረቤትካ ይደቅስ” ዝብሃል ክረአ እንከሎ ሰላሞም ንሰላምና ስለ ዝጸልዎ ንጐረባብትና ሕማቕ ኣይንምነየሎምን። ብፍላይ ኣብዚ እዋንዚ ብዛዕባ ንትግራይን ኣጋጢምዋ ዘሎ ጸገማትን ከየልዓልና ዘይንውዕል፡ ብህግደፍ ዝምራሕ ኤርትራዊ ኣብቲ ጉዳይ ኣትዩ ብምህላዉ እዩ። ምኽንያቱ በቲ ሓደ ወገን ንሕና ጸላኢና ጉጅለ ህግደፍ ኣብ ዝኣተዎ ኣቲና፡ ነቲ ኣብ ልዕሊ ህዝብና ክፍጽሞ ዝጸንሐን ዘሎን ግፍዓዊ ተግባራቱ እናተኸታተልና ከነውግዞ ስለ ዝግበኣና እዩ። ነቲ ጉጅለ ህግደፍ ንከነውግዝ እንብሎ ከም ንትግራይ ምደጋፍና ጥራይ ገይሮም ዝወስድዎ ይህልዉ። በዚ መልክዕ እንተሒዝናዮ እውን ንትግራይ ብርትዓዊ መንገዲ ምድጋፍ ነውሪ ኣይኮነን። እቲ ካልእ ብዛዕባ ጉዳይ ትግራይ ክንዛረብ እንግደደሉ ምኽንያት እቲ ሎሚ ህግደፍ ዝፍጽሞ ዘሎ በደል ኣብ ዝምድና ናይቲ ስርዓታት እንተሓለፉ እውን ዘይሓልፍ   ህዝብታት ኤርትራን ትግራይን ከሕድሮ ዝኽእል ኣሉታ ስለ ዘተሓሳስበና ኢና። ምናልባት ጉጅለ ህግደፍ ኣብ ጉዳይ ትግራይ ኢዱ እንተዘየእቱ ከምቲ ብዛዕባ ሱዳን፡ ጅቡቲ፡ ግብጺ………ወዘተ ብዙሕ ዘይንዛረብ ብዛዕባ ትግራይ’ውን ኣይምተዛረብናን።

ኣብዚ እዋንዚ ብመስረት እቲ “ኤርትራ፡ ብህዝባ፡ ካብ ህዝባን ንህዝባን” ዝብል ሓሳብ፡ ጉዳይና ባዕልና እምበር ካልእ ኣይእተወና ዝብል የሰማምዓና እዩ። እዚ ኣበሃህላ ንምትሕግጋዝን ምድግጋፍን ዝዕንቅጽ ከምዘይኮነ እንርዱኦ እዩ። እቲ ከምቲ “ዝሃበሲ ይልእኽ”  ዝበሃል፡ ሎሚ ንጉጅለ ህግደፍ ከዋድቐኩም ዝብሉ ኣካላት “ናይ ጽባሕ ስግኣት ከይኮኑ” ዝብል ፍርሒ ከም ዘለዎ ንሓዞ። እቲ ቀንዲ ጠንቂ  ስግኣት ግና ንሕና ብሓባር ክንቃለስ ዘይምኽኣልና ምዃኑ ኣይንረስዕ። ናይ ቅድሚ ሕጂ ተመኩሮና እውን ነዚ ዘመልክት እዩ። ኩልና ከም እንዝክሮ ኣብ 50ታት ኣብ ኤርትራ “ኢትዮጵያ ወይ ሞት” ዝጭርሑ ኤርትራውያን ነይሮም’ዮም። እቲ ናይ ብሓቂ ስግኣት ዝኾነ ከኣ እዚኣቶም እምበር፡ እቲ ንሳቶም ብዝኸፈትዎ ኣፍደገ ዝኣተወ ናይ ደገ ሓይሊ ኣይነበረን። ስለዚ ሎሚ እውን ሕራይ በቲ  ብጉርሒ ድዩ ብስምዒት በብኩርናዑ ዝቀላቐል ዘይቅዱስ ንኤርትራ ናይ ምዕምጣር ጭረሖታትሲ ንስጋእ። እቲ ዝያዳ ክንሰግኦ ዝግበና ግና እቲ ናትና ብሓባር ዘይምስጓም ምዃኑ ከይዘንጋዕና፡ ከነእርሞ ክንለዓል ደጊምና ነዘኻኽር።

Tuesday, 27 July 2021 22:21

Eritrean refugees in Tigray caught up in conflict

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27 Jul 2021
 
Originally published
27 Jul 2021
 
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This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is extremely worried about the fate of thousands of Eritrean refugees currently trapped in two refugee camps in Ethiopia's Tigray region as fighting between armed groups escalates in and around the camps.

An estimated 24,000 Eritrean refugees in Mai Aini and Adi Harush camps in Tigray's Mai Tsebri area are facing intimidation and harassment and living in constant anguish, cut off from humanitarian assistance.

We have received disturbing and credible reports in recent days from Mai Aini camp that at least one refugee was killed by armed elements operating inside the camp. This latest death is in addition to the killing of another refugee on 14 July.

UNHCR implores all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international law, including respecting the civilian character of refugee camps, and the rights of refugees and all civilians to be protected from hostilities.

Our staff have lost all access to the refugee camps for the last two weeks. Trapped refugees need urgent life-saving assistance. Clean drinking water is running out, no healthcare services are available and hunger is a real danger. The last food distribution to both camps was done in late June, providing rations for one month.

Recent armed clashes have also displaced thousands of people in the Afar region that neighbours Tigray to the east and where an additional 55,000 Eritrean refugees are hosted. There are reports of armed confrontations close to the locations where they live.

Meanwhile, the main humanitarian supply road between Semera in Afar and Mekelle in Tigray has been completely blocked since 18 July. UNHCR supplies, like those of other agencies, are stranded in Semera.

UNHCR urges all parties to the conflict to give immediate humanitarian access and safety for aid workers attempting to provide life-saving assistance.

For more information on this topic, please contact:\ In Addis, Neven Crvenkovic, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +251 948 053 450\ In Nairobi, Dana Hughes, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +254 733 450536\ In Geneva, Babar Baloch, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +41 79 513 9549