Mohamed Salem Al Rashedi, the UAE Ambassador to Ethiopia, said, The UAE has a strong relationship with Ethiopia, and this assistance is part of the directives of the UAEs wise leadership to provide humanitarian and development assistance to brotherly and friendly peoples.. 'Supporting Gumuz rebels' The armed Gumuz militia has been unleashing brutal ethnic attacks on ethnic minorities in Ethiopia's western Benishangul-Gumuz state, where the dam is located. The US has abandoned Ethiopia. [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. He would go on to rule the countryuntil his death in 2012, and was succeeded by Hailemariam Desalegn. [316] As of August 2021, there were 512 to 514 rape victims registered with Ethiopian hospitals;[317][318] however, the real number is probably much larger than that and can be as large as 120,000 by some estimations,[319] and many sources believe the sexual violence in Tigray was intentionally committed with the purpose of destroying the morale of the enemy, to genocide and genetically cleanse certain populations, and to spread STIs as a form of biological warfare. [62] The TDF claimed they also linked up with the OLA. [66], All sides, particularly the ENDF, EDF, and TDF, have committed war crimes during the conflict. Army chief of staff of Ethiopia, General Birhanu Jula, made the accusations in a televised statement on Thursday. to solve its own power problems and also those of its neigbours. The Tigray War[b] was an armed conflict that lasted from 3 November 2020[a] to 3 November 2022. [161] In January 2022, The Globe and Mail reported evidence of Somali troops were involved and they had committed atrocities in Tigray. Abiy, a non-Tigrayan politician with little ties to the TPLF, enjoyed widespread popularity. 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. Currently, Ethiopia seems to be in a comfortable position. The intensity of the war has led to spillover effects on the surrounding countries in the region, especially in Sudan. [109][266] Hopes that these talks could definitively stop the war, however, remained low, as fighting did not appear to slow down, and Ethiopia vocalized their distrust about the peace process. [244] By mid-September, reports emerged of Eritrea engaging in mass mobilization of the country's reservists to be sent to Tigray. By supporting the war on Tigray, it might be hoping to get the support of Abiy and Isaias for its internal centralization project. 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. Such clear support from Russia and the UAE is allowing Ethiopian troops to make rapid advances against the Tigray fighters. [67][68][69][70] Mass extrajudicial killings of civilians have taken place throughout, including in Axum,[71] Bora,[72] Chenna,[73][74] Kobo,[75][76] the Hitsats refugee camp,[77] Humera,[78] Mai Kadra,[69][79] the Debre Abay monastery,[72][80] and Zalambessa. In response to the killings, Sudan started to build up its military along the border with Ethiopia. On the other hand, Ethiopia is also getting a lot of support from Russia, which is itself looking to consolidate its position in the Horn of Africa. [329] Following the 23 June bombing of Togoga, there were reports of Ethiopian government soldiers firing on ambulances to prevent them from reaching the injured. The Tigray rebels were due to disarm within 30 days of the accord but are yet to fully disband their fighting force. Tigrayan rebels have killed more than 150 civilians in the Amhara region on suspicion of being informants or offering aid to federal forces, the government-affiliated Ethiopian Human Rights . The Oromia, Sidama, and SNNPR regions answered the call and mobilised. [173][174], On 22 June 2021, an Ethiopian military cargo plane was shot down over Samre, marking a turn of the war in the TDF's favor. The US has been backing the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) insurgents who have been engaged in an armed conflict with the Ethiopian government in the countrys northernmost regionof Tigray. The Amhara government also denied the reports of forced displacement and asked the Ethiopian government to modify the border between the Amhara and Tigray regions. Only 16% of the health facilities had vaccination services and only 17% had maternal services (antenatal care, birth delivery, etc.). 482 (EXT.OS/XXXII) 2021", "Probe in Ethiopia's Tigray did not reach site of Axum attack: UN", "Millions of children in Tigray remain out of reach, despite access agreement UNICEF", "UN 'frustration' at lack of access to Tigray", "Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: About 2.3 million children cut off from aid, UN says", "More than two million children in Ethiopia's Tigray region cut off from humanitarian aid, UN says", "Ethiopia: EU suspends budget support over Tigray conflict", "OCHA: ETHIOPIA TIGRAY REGION HUMANITARIAN UPDATE", United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, "U.S. agency says Tigrayan forces looted aid warehouses in Ethiopia's Amhara region", "Tigray rebels loot humanitarian warehouses", "Tigray: almost one in three children under five malnourished, UN says", "Ethiopia: Half of Tigray in 'severe' food shortage", "WFP Chief Alleges TPLF Stole Fuel Designated for Humanitarian Use", "Statement by Executive Director of WFP on seizure of humanitarian fuel supplies in Tigray", "Ethiopia's Tigray runs out of medical supplies as malaria spreads", "Analysis: Tigray's largest hospital "doomed to collapse soon" due to lack of medical supplies, doctors warn as hospital death rate surpass ten percent", "Ethiopia's Tigray running out of medical supplies, WHO warns", "In Pictures: World Refugee Day: No Safe Haven in Tigray", "More than a million displaced in Tigray as Ethiopian PM warns of 'final' offensive against region", "Tigray refugees in cramped Sudanese camps fear coronavirus outbreak", "Ethiopia: Northern Ethiopia Access Snapshot (September 2021)", "News: Over half a million people newly displaced in Tigray, Afar and Amhara since militarized conflict resumed in August: UN", "Ethiopia Tigray Region Humanitarian Update Situation Report, 13 March 2021 Ethiopia", "Ethiopia's Amhara seize disputed territory amid Tigray conflict", "Eritrean Refugees Caught in Crossfire of Ethiopia's Tigray War", "Ethiopian government begins offensive in Tigray capital city of Mekelle", "Ethiopia: UN says 20,000 refugees missing in Tigray which are believed to have been detained by Eritrean forces and forcibly sent back for punishment by the Government", "Ethiopia's cracking down in Tigray. . 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. [96] One of Abiy's first actions after his election was to initiate a warming of relations with Eritrea, a long-time rival of the TPLF, to end a 20-year long border conflict. Human rights deteriorated during this time, with opposition groups complaining ofpersecution and corruption, which fedinto growing public discontent. Shortly after hearing news of the TDF advance, the Ethiopian government declared an immediate unilateral ceasefire across the Tigray Region. [67][152] The Tigray government vowed to continue fighting. Ethiopian federal and Tigray region officials agreed late Thursday at talks in Nairobi to grant the African Union full access to the region to oversee an end to the two-year . Sudan denied claims that it was involved in an armed group's attempt to attack the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the second accusation of its kind involving Sudan in the Ethiopian crisis. [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. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), all of the functioning hospitals and health centres in Tigray had a lack of medical supplies, drugs, and equipment. [295][296][297] The Ethiopian and Eritrean governments have also been accused of genocide. [200] On 11 October, Ethiopian-allied forces launched coordinated ground attacks "on all fronts" against the TDF with combined arms including tanks, helicopters, heavy artillery, warplanes, and drones according to the Tigrayan government. But the East African nation is clearly maneuvering its relations between big powers like China and Russia. Most appeared to be authentic accounts from people seeking to raise international awareness of the conflict in the midst of a communications blackout in Tigray. The alleged killings took place in the town of Kobo, located along the highway to the capital, Addis Ababa. Abiy, a non-Tigrayan politician with little ties to the TPLF, enjoyed widespread popularity. Thousands of Ethiopian troops supported by artillery, tanks, and airstrikes fought dug-in forces loyal to the Tigray regional government. [311] A hotspot for this form of profiling took place in Addis Ababa, including disappearances of major Ethiopian officials and arrests of Tigrayans on the grounds that they supported the TPLF, which was designated as a terrorist organisation in May 2021 by Ethiopian parliament. Tigrayan rebels said Wednesday they have begun handing in their heavy weapons, a key part of a deal signed more than two months ago to end a deadly conflict in northern Ethiopia. Ethiopia itself is located close to war-torn Yemen. 20 April 2021 Humanitarian Aid. 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 . People celebrated in the streets of Mekelle as the TDF took the city. [160] However, refugees also spoke of the EDF killing 80150 people in Idaga Hamus on 30 November, as part of a larger series of extrajudicial killings known as the Adigrat massacres. 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 UAE reportedly uses a number of front companies for the delivery of weapons to a country in which it is not officially involved. [155] The TDF also began to dig into their positions in rural Tigray,[156] marking the start of a guerrilla campaign against Ethiopian-allied forces from the mountains. Since November 2020, a complex and tragic civil war has raged in the Tigray region of Ethiopia pitting Tigrayans, led by Ethiopia's former ruling elite, against Ethiopia's federal government and. Ethiopia is looking at Iran and the UAE for acquiring new weapons and it is the UAE that seems to be winning the race. They have also claimed the woredas (districts) of Welkait, Tegede, Kafta Humera, Tselemti, and Raya to be theirs. [246][247][248] The TDF had, thus far, largely resisted the offensive, and reportedly launched a counterattack to retake Sheraro. [262][263][264] Witnesses from a number of towns told the Associated Press that Eritrean forces were regularly killing civilians between 23 and 29 October. 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. [122] As tension continued to grow, a brigadier general appointed by Abiy was prevented by the Tigray government from taking up his military post. 81 - 10 February 2021", "Ethiopian cities hit by rockets from Tigray forces", "Rockets fired from Ethiopia's Tigray hit Eritrean capital, diplomats say", "Ethiopia crisis: Tigray leader vows to keep fighting as government advances", "Ethiopia: Shire Town of Tigray Captured", "Ethiopian government says troops take two towns from Tigray fighters", "Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: PM gives Tigray forces 72 hours to surrender", "Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: Mekelle hospital struggling after attack Red Cross", "Fact check: Are other nations involved in the war in Tigray? Now the front line is getting closer and closer toAddis Ababa, with the prime minister calling on residents to be ready to defend the capital. He called Tedros a 'criminal' and called for him to be removed. How an Indian spiritual Guru solved Colombias decade-old strife, Orwellian Ministry of Truth becomes a reality in Bidens America, Turkey and Greece: A firepower index comparison of all sorts, Norway creates a proxy Wagner agent for NATO, Sex, sleaze, and drugs is what WEF is all about, Trudeau didnt want to face the wrath of Saskatchewan, so he planned to ignore it. [173] The statement also confirmed reports of two massacres in Tigray, stating that 229 civilians were killed in the town of Mai Kadra at the beginning of November 2020, and accusing Eritrean forces of killing 110 civilians in Axum later that same month. Abiy's chief ally today is Isaias Afwerki, the dictator of Eritrea. Last November, as . Did Ukraine use innocent civilians as human shield against Russia in the name of evacuation? [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. [245], On 20 September, the government of Tigray said Eritrea had invaded the region, and that heavy fighting was taking place across northern Tigray. So, what makes Ethiopia so important that the UAE too decided to defy the US and back Addis Ababa? [306] They issued another emergency alert on 20 November 2021, stating that "both sides are committing genocide," referring to detentions of thousands of people based on Oromo or Tigrayan ethnic identity, and arguing that "Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's hate speech and calls for war" together with attacks by the ENDF and TPLF put Ethiopia into stages 4 (dehumanization), 6 (polarization), 8 (persecution), and 9 (extermination) of the ten stages of genocide. In early 2018, after severalyears of frequent anti-government protests from different ethnic groups had seriously damaged the legitimacy of the EPRDF government, Hailemariam stepped down. This became apparent in the last two months after the Tigrayan rebels achieved major gains in the Tigray region by seizing key areas after the army withdrew. The Ethiopian government denied involvement in the killing. After the 2020 general election was postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the TPLF and some other opposition leaders accused Abiy of delaying the vote to stay in power. 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 . [108] In turn, the TPLF has accused the federal government of accumulating too much power for itself, and that it was engaging in ethnic discrimination of Tigrayans. In early 2018, after severalyears of frequent anti-government protests from different ethnic groups had seriously damaged the legitimacy of the. Currently, Ethiopia seems to be in a comfortable position. Conflict in Tigray: Ethiopia consolidates peace, precarious despite everything. Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Salih on Monday blamed Ethiopia's Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) rebels for provoking a "major war" in Tigray. Whose interests is Turkey safeguarding in Sudan? [363], Since then, the area has been under the de facto control of Amhara regional authorities. [348] According to the World Food Programme, while international aid had technically been allowed into the region during the 2022 ceasefire, in practice, very little aid was reaching the people that needed it most, largely due to fuel not being made available in these area. [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. But government officials have not acknowledged a fresh offensive, which Tigray forces say began last week. Ethnically based massacres are also increasing. 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