After blocking access since the war in Tigray broke out on 4 November, Prime Minister Abiy has finally relented. Aid agencies have also been granted visas and access.
A very welcome announcement, but let’s see what happens in reality.



After blocking access since the war in Tigray broke out on 4 November, Prime Minister Abiy has finally relented. Aid agencies have also been granted visas and access.
A very welcome announcement, but let’s see what happens in reality.



FEBRUARY 23, 2021 ERITREA HUB ETHIOPIA, NEWS, TIGRAY
Haavisto told journalists that Ethiopia’s leadership had failed to provide a “clear picture” of the situation in Tigray — including the widely documented involvement of forces from neighbouring Eritrea. “The question of Eritrean troops is extremely sensitive, so we don’t get the clear answer about the whereabouts or magnitude of the Eritrean troops,” he said.
Source: Euractiv

File photo. An Ethiopian refugee woman with her child from Tigray region wait to receive aid at the Um Rakuba refugee camp, the same camp that hosted Ethiopian refugees during the famine in the 1980s, some 80 kilometers from the Ethiopian-Sudan border in Sudan, 1 December 2020. [Ala Kheir/EPA/EFE]
Finland’s Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto warned Tuesday (23 February) that the crisis in Ethiopia’s conflict-hit Tigray region appears “out of control”, after visiting the country on behalf of the EU.
“You have come to the situation which is militarily and human rights-wise, humanitarian-wise very out of control,” Haavisto told journalists in Brussels.
Tigray has been the theatre of fighting since early November 2020, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced military operations against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), accusing them of attacking federal army camps.
He declared victory after pro-government troops took regional capital Mekele in late November, though the TPLF vowed to fight on, and clashes have persisted in the region, hampering efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance.
“This operation has lasted more than three months, and we do not see the end,” Haavisto said.
Finland’s top diplomat visited Addis Ababa this month — including meetings with Nobel Prize winner Abiy — on a fact-finding mission for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
He briefed foreign ministers from the bloc’s 27 nations on the crisis at a meeting on Monday.
Haavisto told journalists that Ethiopia’s leadership had failed to provide a “clear picture” of the situation in Tigray — including the widely documented involvement of forces from neighbouring Eritrea.
“The question of Eritrean troops is extremely sensitive, so we don’t get the clear answer about the whereabouts or magnitude of the Eritrean troops,” he said.
Addis Ababa and Asmara both deny that Eritrean forces are involved in the conflict, contradicting eyewitness reports from civilians, aid workers and some military and government officials in Tigray.
The EU has joined the United States in demanding Eritrean troops withdraw.
Haavisto repeated urgent calls from the international community for the Ethiopian government to grant full humanitarian access to Tigray, including areas beyond its control.
“What we need from the Ethiopian government is the greenlight to the humanitarian community to negotiate access to the Eritrean-controlled areas, to the opposition-controlled areas,” he said.
The UN says that areas where 80% of the region’s population live remain cut off from assistance and tens of thousands have fled across the border into neighbouring Sudan.
Haavisto warned that Sudan is struggling to cope with the influx and that it risked spiralling into a new driver for refugees towards Europe.
“We are seeing the beginning of one more potentially big refugee crisis in the world,” Haavisto said.
“If you don’t influence it now then the circumstances will build so that there are more and more refugees coming.”
In December, Brussels announced it was postponing some €90 million in aid to Ethiopia over its failure to grant full humanitarian access to Tigray.
“The ongoing conflict in Tigray has led to a catastrophic humanitarian and human rights situation. By some estimates, hundreds of thousands are facing starvation. Tens of thousands have left the country as refugees. Reports come in daily of new atrocities, including allegations of massacres in churches and villages, rape, and the physical destruction of refugee camps.”
MINNEAPOLIS—Rep. Ilhan Omar released the following statement on the ongoing situation in Ethiopia.
“My first trip abroad as a Member of Congress was to Ethiopia. I am also entering my second term as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the subcommittee with jurisdiction over Africa and human rights. This year, I am honored to be chosen as the Vice Chair of the subcommittee. The situation in Ethiopia is deeply alarming on many levels, and I have been following it extremely closely.
“I am deeply alarmed by the situation of the Oromo political prisoners, including Bekele Gerba and other leaders who are on hunger strike. The denial of access to medical treatment is a significant violation of their human rights and is only making the serious crises facing Ethiopia worse. The Ethiopian Government must treat these prisoners according to internationally recognized standards of human rights, due process, and human dignity.
“The ongoing conflict in Tigray has led to a catastrophic humanitarian and human rights situation. By some estimates, hundreds of thousands are facing starvation. Tens of thousands have left the country as refugees. Reports come in daily of new atrocities, including allegations of massacres in churches and villages, rape, and the physical destruction of refugee camps. Their whereabouts and condition are unknown.
“Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed must allow unfettered humanitarian access, and unfettered access to independent human rights investigators in Tigray so we can get a full accounting of the atrocities that have been reported. He must also lift the communications blockade to allow NGOs and other humanitarian organizations to be in touch with their staff on the ground, and to allow people living in Tigray – including many of my own constituents – to finally speak to their families.
“The Tigray conflict risks spilling over into an all-out regional conflict and could claim as one of its casualties the very fragile transition to democracy in Sudan. Our national interests, values, and basic human morality demand that the United States takes decisive steps to document the allegations of human rights violations and support justice mechanisms, at the international level if necessary. The Government of Ethiopia, TPLF, Government of Eritrea, militias, and any other actors in the region must be held accountable where crimes are proven. We must reject any narrative that seeks to absolve anyone who has committed these grave violations of human rights.
“We must also continue to press for unimpeded access for humanitarian organizations, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, journalists, and independent and credible human rights organizations. We must not tolerate these things being carried out under the cover of a blackout.
“As brutal as the situation in Tigray has become, it is not the only problem compounding in Ethiopia. I am also extremely alarmed about the continued reports, which began even before the Tigray conflict, of the targeted murders of Amhara people throughout Ethiopia. The reported massacre at Mai Kadra, among many others, also demands justice and accountability.
“It is a tragedy to see the dream of a pluralistic, democratic, and free Ethiopia slipping away. The layers of legitimate unaddressed grievances held by so many Ethiopians have to be addressed before Ethiopia can conceivably move forward in peace. From my position as Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights, and Global Health, I will continue to strongly advocate for lasting peace and transitional justice mechanisms that take a long view of the injustices perpetrated against too many Ethiopians for too many decades.”
Message from patriot Mesfin Hagos the regarding current situation

Honored people of Eritrea, it is to be remembered that we have repeatedly stated that the lawless Isayas regime, has moved you from one danger to another. By involving you in the Ethiopian civil war, which is not our business, he is exposing our people and our country to unwanted danger.
At the end of January 2021, a statement condemning the war waged by federal government of Ethiopia and its collaborators on peace loving people of Tigray as well as entry of Eritrean army into Tigray was released, which was signed by more than 80 Eritrean scholars and professionals.
The bad lack that has befallen the people of Eritrea has also happened to the people of Tigray and as such on its own land was made to disperse, to be hammered, to be humiliated by being deprived of its basic rights and honors. We would like to thank those Eritreans who saw this and voiced their protest. Their voice is befitting and reflective of the kind of brotherly relationship and collaboration that’s desire by the oppressed people of Eritrea.
We have to realize the fact that the injustice that’s being inflicted by the army of Abiy Ahmed and Isayas regime is the continuation of the injustices that were and continue to be committed on Eritrea and Eritrean citizens by dictator Isayas and his followers.
Since the root cause of the suffering and injustice that’s being inflicted on the two neighboring peoples, the appeals that are being made on behalf of the people of Tigray not only influences us Eritreans but is also on our behalf too. While more than half of the injustice that was committed on Eritreans remains unknown to the outside world, when it crossed the border and occurred on another country, the world has started to pay attention to it.
Those of us who are able to move and speak have the moral and civic responsibility to speak up on behalf of our people who have been pinned from moving and silenced from speaking.
In November, a failed campaign was undertaken by Asmara that called “let us show our solidarity with our army.” Now Isayas and his allays are using similar trickery with a campaign (motto) “let us defend the sovereignty of our country” to attempt to hide the fact that they are exposing our people to danger and placing our sovereignty for bargain.
The two attempts are efforts to rationalize the actions of the regime and suppress the truth. However, while the people of Eritrea are being kept from utilizing the wealth within its reach and is starving, Isayas has agreed for Abiy to use Assab port without any restrictions and protocols.
What is worse, sources from Asmara are indicating and warning that he has made a deal to suppress the sovereignty that we have secured by paying huge sacrifice and to unify, once again, our country Eritrea with Ethiopia through federation.
It is the people of Eritrea who have paid and continues to pay for such irresponsible actions of Isayas and his followers.
Those who are main culprits of these actions are high level commanders of the army and few of their colleagues that have become confused with narrow interests and who are vying to show their allegiance to Isayas and save themselves.
These are the ones that have made mid-level officials and youth members of the army, who gain no benefit out of this, victims of Arab (interests). Since our brothers, sisters, children and grandchildren are not able to make their voices heard, we have the responsibility to speak up on their behalf. History is calling us to stand against the death and destruction that has been occurring, is and continues to occur.
Honored army of Eritrea, even though you have been forced to engage in wrongful deeds by military command and disciplinary entanglements, you will be made accountable not only by your conscience, but also by law, for the actions that you are committing.
People of Eritrea - inside the country and abroad - you have seen that unless you disobey in a unified and open manner, the regime of Isayas will not end. Since the price we pay by our disobedience is much less, let us all collectively say ‘enough’ so that the intervention of the regime that took away thousands of our children and grandchildren ends in the Ethiopian civil war.
High-level officers of the Eritrean army: it is important for you to know that once you are finished sacrificing your comrades and children, Isayas will pluck you one by one.
Today, the number one enemy of our people and the primary source of danger to our sovereignty is Isayas.
You need to contribute your share now by standing with your people and bringing down this regime in order to heal and compensate for the destruction you have participated in up to now.
Thank you
“Message from patriot Mesfin Hagos regarding current situation,”
ATV Assena Youtube account, 22/02/21, 5 hours ago
ኣባላት ኣብ ደቡብ ጀርመን ዝርከብ ጨንፈር ሰልፈ ዲሞክራሲ ህዝቢ ኤርትራ ብዕለት 20 ለካቲት 2021 ስሩዕ ጨንፈራዊ ኣኼባ ኣካይዶም። ነዚ ኣብ ዓለምና ወሪዱ ዘሎ ሕማም ኣብ ግምት ብዘእተወ፣ እቲ ኣኼባ ብመንገዲ መረኸቢ ብዙሃን ዝተሳላሰለ ኮይኑ፡ ድሕሪ ዳሃይ ሕድሕድ ምፍልላጥን ናይ እንኳዕ ዳሓን ኣራኸበና ሰላምታ ምቅይያርን፣ ብቀጥታ ኣብቶም ነዚ እዋን ዝምልከቱ ተስሪዖም ዝነበሩ ኣጀንዳታታ ብምትኳር፡
2 ሰራዊት አርትራ ካብቲ ዘይምልከቶም ቦታ ትግራይ ብዘይ ዋዓል ሕደር ወጺኢም፡ ኣብ ቦትኦም ክምለሱ፡
ናይ ሓባር እትበጽሖን እተዕውቶ ዓላማን ሸቶን ክህልወካ እንከሎ፣ ብሓባር ምጉዓዝ ዝተለምደን ኣዕዋትን እዩ። እዚ ኣዕዋቲ ዝኸውን፡ ዝተበተነ ድሌት ዝእክብ፡ ግዜኻ ዘቑጥብን ዓቕምኻ ኣብ ናይ ሓባር መዓላ ዘውዕል ስለ ዝኾነ እዩ። ብዓብይኡ ከኣ ነቲ በበይንኻ ምድፋኡ ዘጸግመካን ብሰንኪ ብሓደ ዘይምስራሕካ ዕድመ ዝውስኽን ተጻባኢ፣ ንምውጋድ ዘኽእል ፍቱን መንገዲ ስለ ዝኾነ እዩ። ኩሉ ግዜ ብዛዕባ ሓድነትን ሓቢርካ ምቅላስን ዘለዎ ዘይስገር ኣድላይነት እንዛረብ ከኣ ካብዚ ብምንቃል ኢና።
“ኣብቲ ዘሰማምዓካ ሓቢርካ ምቅላስ መሰረታዊ እዩ” ክንብል እንከለና፡ በቲ ዘሰማምዓና ጀሚርና ንቕድሚት ዘይንስጉም ካብ ምባል ዝነቅል እዩ። በቲ ዘሰማምዓካ ምጅማር ቅድም ኣብኡ ኣድሚዕካ ዓወት ምምዝጋብ ዘኽእል እዩ። ነቲ ዝፈላልየካ ከኣ ፈጺምካ ትጥንጥኖ ማለት ዘይኮነ፡ ሓቢርካ ብምስራሕ ተተባቢዕካ ነቲ ዘየሰማምዓካ ዕንቅፋት ክኸውን ብዘይክእል ከተመሓድሮ የኽእለካ ማለት እዩ። ካብዚ ሓሊፉ፡ ብዙሓት ኮንካ ብሓባር ምቕጻል ኣይኮነንዶ ኣብ ከምዚ ተጸሚድናሉ ዘለና ፖለቲካዊ ዋኒን፡ ኣብ ካልእ ተልእኮ እውን ናብ ሓደ ጉዳይ ክትነቅል እንከለኻ መሰረታዊ ኮይኑ ንድሕሪት ዝመልስ ደኣ ኣይኹን እምበር ፡ ፍልልይ ከም ዘጋጥመካ ኣሚንካ እትቕበሎ እዩ። ነቲ ፍልልይ ሰጊርካ ክትስጉም ትኽእለሉ መንገዲ ከኣ ኣብ መትከል ምጽውዋር፡ ምክእኣልን ናይ ሓሳብ እንካን ሃባን ምኽባር ዝስረት እዩ። ከምዚ እንተዘይኮይኑ ግና፡ ንምቅላስ ወይ ንስራሕ ጥራይ ዘይኮነ ዝኾነ ቀጻሊ ማሕበራዊ ህይወት ምምስራት እውን ኣይመተኻእለን። ስለዚ ንፍልልያት ኣፍልጦ ሂብካ ምምሕዳሮም እምበር ምውጋዶም ወይ ምሕባኦም ዝከኣል ኣይኮነን።
ኣብ ሓደ ናይ ሓባር መስርሕ ፍልልያት ዝፍጠረሉ ምኽንያታት ብዙሕ እዩ። ዘይሩ ዘይሩ ግና ኣብቲ ናይ ሓባር ጉዕዞ ናይ “መን ተጠቕመን ተጐድአን ወይ ሰዓረን ተሳዕረን” ውድድር ክህሉ ባህርያዊ እዩ። እዚ ውድድር ዘሕድሮ ስግኣት ክህሉ’ውን ከምኡ። እዚ ውድድር’ዚ ብሕጋውን ዲሞክራስያውን ኣገባብ እንተተኣልዩ፡ ዘበላልሓካ ጸጋ እምበር፣ ስግኣት ኣይኮነን። ካብዚ ሓሊፉ፡ ናይ እምነት፡ ቋንቋን ባህልን ካለኦትን ብዙሕነት ፍልልያት ክፍጠር ናቶም እጃም ኣለዎም። እንተኾነ ነዞም ፍልልያት ዓቂብካ በቶም ዘሰማምዑኻ ብምስራሕን ብምቅላስን ኣብ ዓወት ከም ዝብጻሕ ብብዙሓት ተመኩሮታት ዝተረጋጊጸ እዩ። ኣብ ዝኾነ መዳይ ኣብ ፖሊቲካ ድዩ ኣብ ቁጠባ ወይ ማሕበራዊ ጉዳይ ዕዉታት እንብሎም ህዝብታት ከምዞም ዝጠቐስናዮም ፍልልያት ስለ ዘይነበርዎም ኣይኮኑን። ንሕና ኤርትራውያን ግና፡ ነዚ ክሳብ ምውሓስ ልኡላዊት ሃገር ዘብጸሐ ቃልሲ ከነዕውት እንከለና ነዞም ዝተጠቕሱ ፍልልያትና ኣብ ምክእኣል ንሎሚ መለበሚ ዝኾነና ዋጋ ከፊልና ኢና። ንመጻኢ ከኣ በቶም ዘሰማምዑና ጀሚርና፡ ነቶም ዘየሰማምዑና ቦታኦም ኣትሒዝና እንተሰጒምና፣ ናይ ቅድሚ ሕጂ ዓወትና ካብ ምድጋም ዝዓግተና የለን። ነቲ ክንክተሎ ዝግበና ውሕልነት ዘንጊዕና፡ በቲ ዘሰማምዕና ኣብ ክንዲ ምጅማር፡ ግድን በቲ ዝፈላልየና ደኣ ንጸባጸብ ኢልና እንተደሪቕና ግና፡ ኣብቲ ዘሰማምዓና ኮነ ኣብቲ ዝፈላልየና ከየድማዕና መፍቶ ህግደፍ ክንከውን ኢና።
ንፍልልያት ግዜ ሂብካ በቲ ዘሰማምዓካ ጀሚርካ ምቕጻል፡ ልቦና፡ ጹረትን ትዕግስትን ዝሓትት ዓብይን ዘይስገርን ህዝባዊ ሓላፍነት እዩ። ነዚ ክትበቅዕ፡ “ኣነን ናተይን ጥራይ” ብዝብል ዘይኮነ፡ ንናይቶም ካለኦት ሓቢሮሙና ዝቃለሱን ብዘይብኣኣቶም ዘይኮነልናን ወገናት ርኢቶ’ውን ቦታ ክንህብ ግድን እዩ። ምናልባት እውን ከምቲ “ምእንቲ መጎጎ ትሕለፍ ኣንጭዋ” ዝበሃል፡ ዘየዕግቡና ግና ከኣ ኣብ ወሳኒ እዋን ነቲ ኣብ ቅድሜና ዘሎ ብደሆ ብሓባር ዘስግር ኮይኑ ዝተራእየና ሓሳብ ምስ ዕቃበ ምቕባል ኣገዳሲ እዩ። ደሓር ኣብቲ መስርሕ ናይቲ ምእንቲ ክንሰግር ዝተቐበልናዮ ሓሳብ ዘየድማዕነት እንተነጺሩ፣ እንተላይ እቲ ምእንቲ ብሓባር ክንቅጽል ሓሳቡ ዘኽበርናሉ ኣካል፤ ምሳና ኮይኑ ናይ ምዕራዩ ዕድል ክረክብ ንኽእል ኢና። ካብዚ ሓሊፉ ኣብዚ ንጐዓዞ ዘለና ናይ ምቅብባል መስርሕ ቃልሲ፥ ንዝሓለፈ ተመኩሮ ከይነዓቕካ እቲ ጸጽቡቑ ምውሳድ ምእንቲ ሓቢርካ ክትቅጽል ኣገዳሲ እዩ። ኣድላይነት ናይዚ ጡብ ኣብ ልዕሊ ጡብ እንዳንበርካ ጉዕዞ ንምዕዛዝ ሓደሓደ ሰባት ከምዚ ዝስዕብ የዘንትዉ። “ርሳስ ጐዲሙ ምጽሓፍ እንተኣብዩካ፡ ነቲ ዝጐደመ ደርቢኻ ኣይኮንካ ሓድሽ ትገዝእ። ኣብ ክንድኡ ነቲ ዝጐደመ ጸሪብካ ኢኻ እተጽሕፎ” ይብሉ።
ኤርትራውያን ኩልና ሃገርና ልኡላውነታ ዓቒባ፡ ሃብታም፡ ሰላምን ቅሳነት ዝዓሰላ፡ ልዕልና ፍትሒ ዝሰፈናን ኩሉ መሰላት ህዝባ ዝኽበረላን ክትከውን ዘሰማምዓና ባህጊ እዩ። ካብዚ ብምንቃል ከኣ ኩልና ሃገርና ስማ ብጽቡቕ ክለዓል እንከሎ የሕጉሰና፡ ብሕማቕ ክትለዓል እንከሎ ከኣ የሻቕለና። እዚ ካብቲ ዘሰማመዓናን ክንዕቅቦ ዝግበናን እዩ። ነዚ ብኸመይ ንዕቅቦን ነዕውቶን ኣብ ዝብል ግና ፍልልያት ኣለና። እዚ ፍልልያትና ብዝፈጠሮ ምስሕሓብ ከኣ እቲ ናይ ኣሰላልፋ ብዝሕን ዋሕድን ገዲፍካ፡ ተቓወምትን ደገፍትን ጉጅለ ህግደፍ ንበሃሃል። ብሰንኪ እዚ ፍልልይ ከኣ ከምቲ ሓሓሊፉ ዝረአ ኣብቲ ዓበይቲ ዘሰማመዓና ኤርትራዊ ጉዳያት ክንረሓሓቕ ኣይመተገበናን።
ኣብቶም ንግጉይ ኣካይዳ ህግደፍ ተቓዊምና ንለውጢ ንቃለስ ዘለና እውን ዘሰማምዕን ዘየሰማምዕን ኣለና። ኤርትራና ብሰንኪ ጉጅለ ህግደፍ ዝወርዳ ዘሎ በደላት ተወጊዱ፡ ሰላም፡ ዲሞክራስን ልምዓትን ዝተረጋገጸላ ክትከውን እንሰማምዓሉ እዩ። ኣብቲ ነዚ ንምርግጋጽ “ኣየናይ መንገዲ ንምረጽ፡ ምስ መንከ ንመሓዞ…… ወዘተ” ዝብል ግና ንፈላለ። ኣብቲ ጽባሕ ህዝብና ብሕገመንግስታዊ ልዕልናኡ ክውስኖ ዝግባእ ንዓና ከም ውድባት፡ ሰልፍታትን ህዝባዊ ምንቅስቓስን ሓሳብ ክንህበሉ እምበር ክንውደኦ ዘይምልከትና ብዛዕባ “ኤርትራ ድሕሪ ህግደፍ ከመይ ትመሓደር” እውን ንፈላለ። ኣብ ከምዚ ምፍልላይ ኣባና ዝተጀመረን መንገዲ ዓወት ዝዓግትን ኣይኮነን። እቲ ኣጸጊሙ ዘሎስ ኣብ ክንዲ ብዕቱብ በቲ ዘሰማምዓና ጀሚርና ነቲ ዝፈላልየና ወጊንና ንቕድሚት ምድፋእ በቲ ዝፈላልየና ምጽብጻብን ምትህልላኽን ምቕዳምና እዩ።
ነቲ ህዝብና “ንሓንቲ ኤርትራን ህዝባን እትቃለሱ ካብ ኮንኩም ብሓባር ዘይትኾኑ” ዝብለና ዘሎ ናይ ዘይምትግባርና ጠንቂ ከኣ ዓቲብና በቲ ዘሰማምዕና ጀሚርና ካብ ዘይምቕጻልና ወጻኢ ዝረአ ኣይኮነን። ሎሚ ኣብ ኤርትራ ብደረጃ ውድብ፡ ሰልፊ፡ ማሕበር፡ ህዝባዊ ምንቅስቓስ ኮነ ግዱሳት ባእታታት እቲ መሰረታዊ ናይ ብቕዓትን ሓልዮትን መምዘኒ ሓቢርካ ዘስርሕ መንገዲ ብምምሃዝ ዝምዘን እዩ። ነዚ ጓሲኻ በበይንኻ ብእትገብሮ ኣበርክቶ ምንያት ግና ዘይሩ ዘይሩ ጐደሎ እዩ። እዚ ከኣ ኣብ ቅድሚ ኩልና ተገቲሩ ዘሎ ብደሆ እምበር ንውሱናት ዝግደፍ ኣይኮነን።
ብዜና ዕረፍቲ ገዲም ተጋዳላይ ኣምባሳደር ኣድሓኖም ገብረማርያም፡ ፖሊቲካዊ ሓይልታት ኤርትራ፡ መሪር ሓዘን ከም ዝተሰምዖም ይገልጹ።
ውፉይ ተጋዳላይ ኣድሓኖም ገብረማርያም፡ ካብ ግዜ ንእስነቱ ጀሚሩ፡ ኣብ ህዝባዊ ግንባር ሓርነት ኤርትራ ብምስላፍ ንናጽነት ኤርትራ ዝተቓለሰን፡ ምስ ብጾቱ ዓበይቲ ሰውራዊ ቅያታት ዝሰርሐን ተጋዳላይ እዩ ነይሩ። ምልካዊ ስርዓት፡ ንህዝቢ ኤርትራ ጠሊሙ ግዳይ ግፍዓዊ ተግባራቱ ኣብ ዝገበሮ ከኣ፡ ኣንጻር ምልኪ ወጊኑ፡ ንፍትሕን ንሓርነትን ህዝቢ ኤርትራ ክሳብ ዕለተ ሞቱ ከይተሓለለ ዝተቓለሰ እዩ።
ክቡር ተጋዳላይ ኣምባሳደር ኣድሓኖም ገብረማርያም ኣብ ሕቡራት መንግስታት ኣመሪካ እናነበረ እንከሎ፡ ብሕማም ምኽንያት ካብ እዛ ዓለም ብመስዋእቲ ብምፍላዩ ምዕራፉ፡ ንኹሎም ደለይቲ ፍትሒ ኤርትራውያን ዓቢ ክሳራ ምዃኑ ብሩህ እዩ።
ፖሊቲካዊ ሓይልታት ኤርትራ፡ ምስ’ቲ ብዕረፍቲ ተጋዳላይ ኣድሓኖም ዝተሰምዖም ከቢድ ክሳራ እንዳገለጹ፡ ናይዚ መሪር ሓዘን ተኻፈልቲ ምዃኖም ይገልጹ። ንስዉእ ኣምባሳደር መንግስተ ሰማይ የዋርሶ፡ ንስድራቤቱ፣ ንሰልፊ ዲሞክራሲ ኤርትራን ንመላእ ደምበ ተቓውሞን ከኣ ጽንዓት ይሃብ።
ፖሊቲካዊ ሓይልታት ኤርትራ
To:
H.E. Mr. Pekka Haavisto,
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland,
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Helsinki, Finland
Dear Mr. P. Haavisto,
February 16, 2021
We the undersigned allied Eritrean Political Forces in exile are deeply saddened by the rapid escalation of a deadly conflict between the Federal Ethiopian Government with unwarranted support of the Government of Eritrea on the one hand and Regional State of Tigray on the other. In particular the indiscriminate air strikes and ground attacks directed to Tigray occurs at a challenging time as the people struggle to contain the impact of Covid-19 pandemic and a massive locust infestation overwhelming the region during the time of the annual harvest season. Human Rights Watch has rightly said in a report published on February 11 that the apparently indiscriminating shelling of urban areas was a violation of the laws of war.
The world is by now receiving reports of the devastating effect of war on the economy and livelihood of the people and its negative impact on peace and security of the entire region. We continue to witness catastrophic humanitarian crisis with millions of internally displaced people and new waves of refugees fleeing to neighboring Sudan.
Dear Sir,
We Eritreans are particularly worried about the fate of the 172 000 Eritrean refugees most of them in Tigray and Afar regions who have fled enforced military conscription, indefinite national service, lack of freedom of speech and movement and political persecution and imprisonment. The invading Eritrean army which still exerts control over two of the refugee camps, namely Shimelba and Hitsaats, has destroyed most of the buildings in the camps and abducted thousands Eritrean refugees and sent them back to Eritrea. The camps are now closed by the Ethiopian government, and the whereabouts of their residents still unacounted.
This is done in broad day light and in flagrant violation of international laws and norms. Unfortunately, the UNHCR High Commissioner Fillipo Grandi’s appeal to the prime minister of Ethiopia to address the situation as a matter of urgency has not been fulfilled.
Yours excellency,
Our allied forces in exile are aware that the Government of Finland had supported and continues to support the reforms and democratization policies initiated by PM Abiy Ahmed Ali of Ethiopia and that Finland along other Nordic countries works for regional peace, security and integration in the Horn of Africa. Therefore, we eagerly await the result of the ongoing European Union initiated dialogue and engagement under your leadership.
Our allied forces in exile also strongly believe that interests of the peoples of the Horn of Africa are complimentary and never mutually exclusive and building regional peace requires the acceptance by all of democratic values and norms and the belief in cooperation, dialogue and compromise in conflict resolution.
We would like to express our concern for the wellbeing of the civilian population of Tigray and Eritrean refugees in the area and appeal to Your Excellency and through you, to the European Union to:
To ask the Ethiopian Government to guarantee the protection of Eritrean refugee in Tigray and Afar regions as well as in urban centers and allow the UNHCR to continue providing its services.
Demand the immediate withdrawal of Eritrean troops fromTigray and impose sanctions on the members of government and impose an arms embargo of Eritrea.
Put pressure on the Ethiopian Government to allow unfettered humanitarian access to Tigray and find ways of providing emergence food, water and, medical and sanitary supplies to the affected population;
Condemn the Eritrean Government for its interference in the internal affairs of Ethiopia and demand its immediate withdrawal of its invasion forces;
Send an independent group to Tigray to investigate the alleged indiscriminate killings including that of Eritrean refugees, the looting of property including church heritages and old manuscripts, systematic rape of women and wanton barning of crops.
To call upon the Ethiopian government the to halt the violence and resolve the conflict peacefully and engage in a genuine, inclusive and credible dialogue under the auspicious of a neutral international body;
Your Excellency,
A delegation of our allied forced is willing explain to your excellency’s government, our understanding of the recent developments inside Eritrea and the region as a whole and our endeavors to establish a constitutional and democratically elected government in Eritrea that abides by the rule of law in a digital meeting at a time of your convenience.
Sincerely Yours,
For/ the Chairpersons:
ENCDC (Eritrean National Council for Democratic Change) ENF (Eritrean National Front)
EPDP (the Eritrean People’s Democratic Party)
UDC (Organization of Unity for Democratic Change)
UEJ (United Eritreans for Justice)
RSADO (Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization) ENF-Hidri (Eritrean National Salvation Front) Copy
Mrs. Theresa Zittling
Director for Unit for the Horn of Africa and Eastern Africa
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Helsinki.
Cameraman tells soldiers to ‘finish off survivors’ in exclusive video seen by Telegraph that appears to be evidence of slaughtered civilians
Groans can be heard from a seriously wounded man squirming on the floor between two corpses.
Chatting as they wander through the aftermath of what appears to be a mass execution of civilians in the Tigray region, soldiers laugh and joke among themselves.
Off to one side they spot a young man who seems to have survived by pretending to be dead.
“You should have finished off the survivors,” the cameraman says in Amharic, Ethiopia’s lingua franca, in an apparent rebuke of the perpetrators of the massacre.
These are scenes from a video clip obtained exclusively by The Telegraph showing the first evidence of what appears to be a war crime carried out by the Ethiopian army. Around 40 bodies in civilian clothes can be seen in the four-minute clip.
Ethiopian and Eritrean forces have for months been battling troops loyal to the former Tigrayan regional government in a war that has left thousands dead and millions on the brink of starvation.
The video footage seen by The Telegraph, which is too graphic to publish, has circulated online in shorter form among local journalists and bloggers – deemed rare proof of the alleged brutality of Addis Ababa’s forces.
The Telegraph was able to geolocate the video to Debre Abay monastery in central Tigray – about 175 miles west of Tigray’s capital, Mekele. It has also confirmed that the clip has not been doctored.
Although the timing of the apparent massacre was not possible to ascertain, a pro-Tigrayan blog reported Ethiopian soldiers had killed 100 civilians at the same monastery on Jan 5.

Experts who were sent the footage called on the Ethiopian government to launch an immediate investigation.
“This is disturbing footage to watch and I would expect the Federal Government to allow the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission full access to establish the facts and to ensure that there is proper accountability for these killings” said Dr Alex Vines, Africa Director at Chatham House.
“It is time to move beyond warnings and statements of concern to investigations and legal proceedings to hold perpetrators accountable for mass atrocities,” added Judd Devermont, Africa Director at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington DC.
Read more: Dispatch: In the desperation of the Ethiopian conflict, only slivers of hope remain
Ethiopia’s state-run Human Rights Commission (EHRC) confirmed to The Telegraph that they were examining the shorter clip of the massacre that has circulated online.
“The EHRC is aware of the purported video and is working to verify its authenticity,” said the organisation’s spokesman, Aaron Maasho. “We have a team on the ground and will investigate the incident should we confirm its veracity.”
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s press secretary, Billene Seyoum, did not respond to requests for comment.
The cameraman in the footage, presumed to be an Ethiopian soldier, is heard speaking in an accent from southern or western Ethiopia.
At one point, he interrogates a survivor of the carnage, who is lying on the floor covered in dirt from head to toe.
“Why were you here in the first place?” the cameraman barks.
“I live in the home over there,” the young man – barely audible – replies in Tigray’s local Tigrigna language, gesturing towards nearby homes. The cameraman responds with a barrage of curses.
At one point, off-screen civilians plead for mercy as soldiers weigh up whether to kill another survivor seen trying to limp away to safety.
Eventually, they agree to leave him.
The video emerged after The Telegraph published dozens of Tigrayan refugees’ accounts of killings, artillery bombardment and looting in Tigray in November.
In recent weeks, human rights organisations and aid workers have issued reports that many in Tigray are now facing starvation, with people already eating leaves to survive or dying in their sleep.
The United Nations Special Adviser on Genocide Prevention said that it has received multiple reports of extra-judicial killings, mass executions, sexual violence, looting and impeded humanitarian access. Earlier this month the body warned that the atrocities in Tigray were likely to get worse.
Last week, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that Ethiopian federal forces carried out apparently indiscriminate shelling of urban areas in the Tigray region, including Mekele, a city of half a million people, in November 2020 in violation of the laws of war.
The Telegraph was sent about two dozen photos, also too graphic to publish, showing the bodies of children blown to pieces by the Ethiopian federal government’s artillery barrage of the city.
In addition to Tigray’s internet and phone services being shut down for the entirety of the war, journalists and aid workers have been barred from the region.
The resulting humanitarian disaster has left 4.5 million people in need of emergency assistance. A coalition of Tigray’s political opposition recently stated that more than 50,000 people might have died since fighting began on November 4th.
In November last year, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, declared victory after his troops’ capture of Mekele – but sporadic fighting continues.
Despite the lack of communication, journalists and rights groups have been able to confirm that forces on both sides of the war have committed atrocities against civilians.
Retreating Tigrayan forces killed hundreds of civilians in the town of Maykadra on November 9th, using blunt objects, according to rights group Amnesty International.