Horn of Africa

Situation Reports by EEPA on the Horn of Africa

By EEPA

Europe External Programme with Africa 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. EEPA has published extensively on issues related to movement and/or human trafficking of refugees in the Horn of Africa and on the Central Mediterranean Route. It cooperates with a wide network of universities, research organisations, civil society and experts from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda and across Africa.

: Europe Editor; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 30 November 2020

Photo: Mekelle palace of Emperor Yohannes IV (emperor of the whole Ethiopian Empire). Credit: Alexander Savin, Wikimedia Commons.

German Foreign Minister Asks Ethiopian Counterpart to Stop the Fighting

By Jutta Wolf

BERLIN (IDN) – "Ethiopia needs a ceasefire," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia, Demeke Mekonnen, at a meeting at the Foreign Office in Berlin on November 27. The talks focused on the conflict in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray.

According to the German Foreign Office, Ethiopia and Germany are partners with longstanding relations. Ethiopia is a priority country of German development cooperation. Germany is one of the biggest buyers of Ethiopian goods, primarily coffee and textiles. The main German exports to Ethiopia are finished products such as machinery, engines, motor vehicles, chemicals and medicines.

: Jutta Wolf; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 28 November 2020

Photo: European Parliament Brussels. Credit: The Brussels Times.

European Parliament in A Joint Resolution Urges Ethiopia to Tread the Path of Peace and Dialogue

By L. Storchi

BRUSSELS (IDN | EEPA) – On November 26, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) held a plenary debate on the current situation in Ethiopia and the conflict in the Horn of Africa region. The speakers called for de-escalation and a resumption of the dialogue for peace between the Ethiopian federal government and representatives of the Tigray region. The discussion followed a draft Joint Motion for a Resolution on November 25, supported by several parliamentarians from different political parties. The motion was adopted by the European Parliament. European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic announced plans to visit Sudan to speak to refugees.

: Europe Editor; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 27 November 2020

Photo: A woman receives health services at a transit point in Hamdayet. Credit: UNFPA Sudan/Sufian Abdul-Mouty.

Civilians Under Threat in Warring Ethiopia

By Sean Buchanan

LONDON (IDN) – With Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed having ordered federal armed forces to launch a “final offensive” on the country’s Tigray region after a 72-hour ultimatum that dissident local leaders surrender expired, there are fears that those most likely to suffer will be innocent civilians.

In an attempt to counter such fears, Abiy Ahmed released a statement November 26 on his Twitter page saying that care would be to protect innocent civilians from harm.

: Phil Harris; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 26 November 2020

Photo: Axum airport in northern Ethiopia, in 2016. According to reports, forces from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front have meanwhile destroyed the airport. Credit: Matt Tempest. Source: EU Observer

EU Called Upon to Urgently Engage in Peace Efforts for the Horn of Africa

By Reinhard Jacobsen

BRUSSELS (IDN) – Representatives of non-governmental organisations and academia from all around Europe have called upon the European Union (EU) to urgently appoint senior High-level Envoys for the Horn to engage in and provide support to international, in particular African, efforts to curb the crisis in the Horn of Africa.

The appeal is addressed in a letter to the President of the EU Council Charles Michel, President of the Commission Ursula Von der Leyen, and President of the European Parliament David Sassoli.

: Reinhard Jacobsen; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 24 November 2020

Photo: A girl stands outside her home in the Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Credit: UNICEF/Tanya Bindra

World Future Council Joins the UN in Calling for an End to Fighting in Ethiopia

By Jutta Wolf

BERLIN (IDN) – With the Ethiopia domestic conflict further escalating, the World Future Council has called upon conflicting parties to "end the devastating infighting, to respect international humanitarian law and provide safety for all the country citizens, specifically children, women and the elderly".

The call comes in the wake of the United Nations reporting a considerable concern about military operations and airstrikes that have taken place in Tigray and Eritrea impacting on civilians, including women and children.

: Jutta Wolf; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 16 November 2020

Photo: Children in Ethiopia's Oromia Region, where alarming violence has erupted. Credit: WFP/Michael Tewelde

Ethnic Strife in Ethiopia Threatens All-Out Civil War

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Those who held high hopes for peace in the Horn of Africa are troubled by the rise in conflicts across the region with fears growing of a potentially destabilizing civil war. The latest conflict pits the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed against the Tigray people who see themselves side-lined from power after almost two decades as head of a coalition that ran the country from 1991 until 2012.

On November 4, Mr. Abiy, winner of last year’s Nobel Peace Prize after making peace with Eritrea, ordered the start of a military offensive against Tigray, accusing the region’s ruling party of attacking a government defence post and attempting to steal artillery and military equipment.